Bite Me
by Kathryn Winters
Summary: My friend and I had a very paranoid conversation about what would happen if the Volturi came looking for us, we live like a three hour drive from Forks, WA...and this was the story that came out of it. Contains Spoilers
1. Prologue

**Prologue **

On special days like these, my mom treats me to Starbucks and a day's escape from the school bus. With my latte in hand, I met up with Kat in our advisory classroom, as she held the door open so I could wheel myself in. We talked about how our stress was at the boiling point and boil over today with our second WASL test of the year.

Our friend Nick walked over and, once again we entered our ongoing discussion as to why _Twilight_ was such an awesome book. (He really didn't get the concept of it.)

Swapping turns, we explained to him that the story was about a girl named Bella Swan who falls for Edward Cullen, a vampire, and that it all takes place in Forks, Washington.

"It's kind of freaky. Forks is only a few hours drive from here." My laugh didn't quite come out right.

Nick muttered, "It's a real place?"

Kat and I nodded as if to say, duh. She continued with the explanation that being a vampire didn't automatically enroll you in the worldwide presence of Volturi, thank goodness.

"FYI: the vampire mafia in Italy..." I said. I could see the 'Oh, now it makes sense' expression fill his face. He was still a little stuck as to why there was constant conflict between Edward and Jacob Black (Bella's good friend.) We cleared that up when Kat realized Nick had missed that both Bella and the obtuse reader didn't discover Jacob's true role in the story until the second book. Werewolves and vampires – mortal enemies, Jacob being the werewolf

Kat and I both concluded neither of us would be traveling to Volterra, Italy whether the Volturi where there or not.

I was so relieved once the WASL tests were all out of the room and it was comfortable to move around and talk. Kat came over with her drawing pad and sat down on the floor next to my wheelchair, which I'd hopefully be out of in day or two.

She pushed her short brown hair behind her ear. "Hey, what do you think would happen if Jacob and Edward were in the room right this minute?"

"Everyone would be dead except you, me, and Mrs. Brown."

"Cuz we'd be the only ones who knew to flatten ourselves against the wall, or get out right away, right?"

"Yea. Anyway, so like, why would they even be here?" I asked.

"Edward liked me and Jacob imprinted on you?" We both laughed at that. Neither of us could see why Edward or Jacob would be interested in either of us; besides they were both head over heals in love with Bella. Anything is possible, I guess. Especially in our minds.

"Na," I said, "Maybe the Volturi were looking for us and Jacob or Edward didn't want any commotion or anything?"

"Yeah I guess that would work. But, why would the Volturi even be looking for us?"

She'd struck my idea on the side of the head with a rock. "We know too much or something?"

Nick walked over then and we launched back into an almost explanatory essay about Edward, Jacob and the Volturi once again. "You know what?" The barest hint of irritation laced into my voice. "I'll bring you the book tomorrow. You read it and find out for yourself what everyone is talking about."

Nick left again and Kat and I picked back up where we had left off: how we would react to meeting a Volturi. "Personally," I said, "I'd try to make them think I really had no idea who they were, or what they were talking about." I told Kat.

"If I was listening to my iPod… and Caius tapped me on the shoulder, I'd probably say, 'Go away…' He'd tap me again and I'd repeat 'Go away.' Then, while my eyes were shut listening to my iPod, I'd finally be all like, **'BITE ME!'** But, then I'd open my eyes, and I'd be all like, 'O-Oh crap…Um…Yeah I didn't mean that…I swear!'"

I laughed. "I think I'd love to try and make Jane crazy. She'd be trying to make me understand that I was in real danger if I didn't shut the heck up." We both laughed for a bit then asked Mrs. Brown what she thought. She didn't seem to care too much and said speech wouldn't be necessary. She'd just leave as fast as she could.

Neither Kat, nor Mrs. Brown, or I noticed three figures slip away from their listening point at the window in the back of the room. Neither did we know that they had been observing our conversations throughout the day, let alone for the past week.

When we left for lunch we were a bit jumpy and so when we got to the elevator we looked at each other and Kat asked, "Hey what if they were waiting for us in the elevator or something?" she'd always been jumpy around elevators.

I shrugged. "We'd be dead before the elevator opened to let us out." We both felt like checking to make sure there wasn't anything or anyone in there, after all I was in a wheelchair at the time, I'd be out in a few days hopefully.

It was clear so we stopped being too jumpy and lasted through lunch.

But we were constantly looking over our shoulders for the whole next day because of a shrill scream we heard during lunch. But the day passed and we both arrived at school the next day without a visible scratch.

I unfortunately didn't realize why one of my legs was unusually cooler than the rest of my body. For those with paranormal senses, it meant something bad was going to happen that night. Other than that, I was in an unusual amount of pain that burned and then was gone, one more paranormal sense.

Before falling asleep that night, I decided to take a little walk in our field right outside our front yard since I'd just been relieved of the wheelchair. It was a full moon and the field was greatly lit. It was the most beautiful of places to be. It was extremely cold however. I heard rustling in the bushes. It frightened me until I saw the coyotes that were coming for their nightly drink in the pond. I'd seen them out before and it didn't frighten me when they walked within inches of me. They were almost like family since we'd moved into the neighborhood. The field we were in kinda reminded me of the clearing that Edward had taken Bella to. He had to show her why he couldn't be anywhere public when the sun was shining. He sparkled like a diamond, in the sunlight.

All of a sudden the coyotes were spooked and were gone. I turned around to look at what had bothered them. A black cloak fluttered in the breeze toward me. I shuddered at even the slightest possibility.

"Kathryn Ouellette?" A deep male voice asked. I shuttered again as a smell caught my nose. It was sweeter than anything I'd ever smelled before. I knew who it was, unfortunately.

"Who wants to know?" My father had taught me one thing of use, never show fear, especially if you can't see who you're talking to.

"My name is Aro. I believe you already knew the answer to that. I've got Jane with me so you can stop your 'I'm not scared and don't have a clue who you are' charade." I shuddered, Jane had the power to make you think you were in unbearable pain just by thinking it, I wouldn't wish her on even my worst of enemies.

It was then that I could see the figures coming toward me. I thought about running, but _that_ would have done me in, as I would have run into one of the granite figures that now stood before me. The Volturi really had come after me, I swallowed hard.

"Then what do you want?" I asked trying to stop my voice from shaking.

Jane spoke this time, "You are someone who knows a little too much of us, and of the other vampires in the area." She scoffed, "We don't like the idea of being exposed by mere mortals, as you well guessed a few afternoons ago. And yes, we were there when you had your conversation with your friend, Katlynn, I think her name was. We've already dealt with her."

"Jane, stand down. She needs no persuasion." Aro seemed so sure, though he couldn't read my mind. He hadn't touched me as his ability required him to even see my memories. He turned and took a graceful, precautionary step toward me to avoid scaring me into running, I would assume. "You have one of two choices. You can either join our ranks after learning from the Cullen family, _or_ we can kill you right here. You'd hardly remember our meeting, with the more humane option."

Behind him I saw Jane looking ready to burst at the seams, trying to hold herself from using her ability on me. I needed to tone down my arrogance, "I have to say, I am deeply honored that I've been given the choice, not to mention that you're here offering it to me." I meant none of my words.

"Is that a yes to joining our ranks?" Jane asked suddenly by my side. She seemed thoroughly excited if not a bit eager.

"May I request a compromise?" I asked. Jane walked away easily, not at all happy by my choice. Aro nodded for me to continue. "I would like twenty years to decide if I would join you in Volterra. If you give me twenty years, I would be more comfortable with the situation." I spoke but shook as well. Jane was becoming impatient. She whispered something to Aro worriedly.

"Very well," Aro said. He turned to walk away. Within mere seconds, Jane was beside me. I was going to hold out my arm for her but she didn't need my invitation. The next thing I knew her teeth and venom had begun sinking into my bloodstream. Soon afterward I was drowning in blackness and cold burning.

I awoke the next morning around 2:00 feeling completely refreshed and ready for the final portion of the writing WASL. I was disturbed by what I thought had just been a dream. I wanted to think that I'd just been sleep walking again and the crescent scar on my arm was nothing more than where I had cut myself unaware. But my gut told me otherwise, I decided to ignore it anyway.

My thoughts changed I arrived at school that morning. Mrs. Brown, Kat and I were the only ones in the classroom. I laughed to myself because that meant everyone else would have to take the writing portion of the WASL again next year. I had to wonder though… Why were they were all missing?

Another strange thing, our skin was abnormally white and we each lacked a pulse, not to mention we were all twice as gorgeous as before.

We were vampires. By whom was the easy question: The Volturi. They were the only ones that would, for whatever reason; want to do something like that. Not to mention my vague memory of our encounter.

That was when we heard a loud roar of a car engine. Seconds later, Edward and Alice Cullen showed up. Obviously being _Twilight_ fans we gawked. Alice seemed much shorter than our imaginations. It was even more shocking seeing her at four foot nine standing next to Edward's six foot two. Not to mention that Edward was the most gorgeous thing on the planet.

Alice pulled the three of us aside. She explained how the Volturi, no surprise there, were angered that three humans had learned about them and the Cullens, and actually believed it. The Volturi were more concerned about those living in Washington State, but we were the only three that believed it was real. We were the only targets. Edward hadn't heard much of the thoughts of the Volturi other than we were the only humans that believed the _Twilight_ series might possibly be real. We were obviously a problem if we knew and were telling people, but revealing their secrets was no longer on our top priority. We had to wonder why they had left us to live. Why hadn't they just taken the chance and killed us?

I had a few ideas of my own. Like, if we'd been found drained of blood, without even a bloodstain in the carpet the other _Twilight_ fans might start believing. I wouldn't even want to take care of that mess. They'd have to deal with practically all the teens in the world!

Then there was the possibility that our abilities, if we had any, might be useful to them.

Then there was the far-fetched idea: maybe it had been destiny all along.

I only had trouble thinking of how the last one affected me. My grandfather used to tell me stories of our Cherokee ancestors and how they believed in spirit guides that guide you through life and appear when you need them most. When you came of age, you could shift into them. Most were wolves because it was such a treasured animal to the Cherokee nation as well as other Indian tribes.

When you could shift into the creature they called you a Spirit Walker, like Jacob Black's tribe's legend about their Spirit Warriors. My grandfather told me that Cherokee blood only showed in you if you were destined to be one of the Spirit Walkers. He also told me that he'd lost his when he married his soul mate and couldn't feel love for anyone the way he felt for her. He told me once he saw me at the age of sixteen becoming a white wolf and joining a pack of wolves around the area.

Ever since reading the _Twilight_ series, I couldn't help but think; maybe it wasn't a story after all. Maybe that really was my destiny. If it were true, there was definitely another possibility to consider. Why had I been changed? Were they trying to avoid creating another enemy? How would it affect me if I was destined to be a werewolf?

Alice seemed to jump at my reasoning once I'd explained myself. She apparently hadn't known of my blood heritage, or hadn't thought it possible. Edward didn't seem surprised at all, but he tried to hide that he was worried. I could sense it in him, like waves of emotion he was giving off. Alice on the other hand just seemed happy to be around more people - well vampires that were female – I couldn't really blame her.

What would my future hold now? Could I even join the werewolf pack if I became one? Was this all just something to protect the world? The Volturi? All the other vampires' skins? Then, the worst of all questions: How would I control the blood cravings I now felt? Did I even feel them, living in one of Washington's most populated areas?

On the bright side, I could focus more clearly on remaining solitary while writing my first novel. I shouldn't have any trouble finding inspiration to jump-start ideas being a vampire. I still had to worry about my heritage though. What would a vampire do, whose blood was destined to run through the veins of a wolf? Not evaporate from her body.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Everything was confusing at this point in time. The whole being a vampire or an underage werewolf as well as the _Twilight_ series being somewhat true. But everyone else seemed to being starting to enjoy the moment. Something that caught Kat's interest: Bella Swan was a complete and total myth. No connection to be found in reality – so far. There was, however, a Chief Charlie Swan but he had no children and had never been married. Then again, he was still young – twenty-four.

Mrs. Brown seemed most upset about what she'd do without Mr. Brown. I thought she had the right idea to worry about family. They'd never be able to see us again, or they could but we wouldn't really be _us_.

It killed me to think of my mother, sister and grandparents. It would tear them apart to think I was dead. They wouldn't let me run off and get married, and they knew I wouldn't, so I didn't have a reason to disappear either.

Kat didn't seem _too_ worried given the way Edward was looking at her. The color of her face was a give away. She was the only vampire I knew that could still turn bright red in the face when embarrassed. It wasn't like a crush the way she looked back at him either. I could sense the emotion rolling off her in waves, she seemed to be head over heals in love. Not puppy love, like boyfriend and girlfriend, that was true love I felt there.

We were all taken by surprise at the sound of another engine outside. I saw Alice and Edward tense as if they knew what was coming. I felt myself tense too, preparing for attack. _It must be Jacob_, I thought, _or another member of his pack coming to find out why there happened to be three new vampires in Washington._

_GREAT. Now we all might as well be dead._ We were in a small classroom, five vampires in all, and now we had a werewolf or two coming also. _What a party._ The emotions were coming in twos, providing the fact that there was definitely more than one of them. They were oddly calm and friendly, not at all angry or upset so I relaxed. They meant no trouble, but I went to open the window for a quick escape route, just in case.

It was indeed Jacob Black. I recognized the russet skin and cropped black hair easily. I was pretty sure he had Embry with him too. He seemed too tall to be Quil, another member of the werewolf pack. _I guess being a vampire didn't make my insides very strong – despite the obvious. _But being more of a Jacob fan girl than an Edward fan girl myself…I fainted.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

I awoke in a car, Kat tensing beside me. No doubt she couldn't quite put up with the sent of Jacob and Embry in the front seats. "What happened?" I asked feeling pain come to the top of my head I held the spot with my hand. _I thought I'd become an almost indestructible vampire not a soft-skull._

"You _really_ don't wanna know." Kat said, still tense. My angry glare must have broken through to her for she continued. "Um…how do I put this? Maybe Jacob or Embry should explain." She looked dreadfully uncomfortable.

"Stupid bloodsucker." Embry muttered. "Your little Volturi did what no one is ever supposed to. They turned one of us into one of you."

"I'm not a mind reader," I hissed back, "Explain things a little more clearly. I might have a concussion." Embry was starting to get on my nerves. The emotion behind his words was not annoyance or hate but jealousy.

"You're supposed to be a werewolf. Your grandfather, John I think his name was, was part of the last pack of werewolves. He was more a loner really because he hadn't descended from the original pack. Then the Volturi got a hold of one of those books you two were so keen to read." He snarled in disgust, "They found out about the pack and targeted you. One less enemy I'm guessing. But when they arrived they learned that three humans believed the author's words. Lucky for them they were connected with their original target…"

"I've already gotten that much from Alice! That doesn't explain why Kat and I are here NOW!"

"You are here for protection! She's only here because she thought you'd need protection from us. Imagine that, dumb bloodsucker." Embry glared back at us.

"What Embry's trying to say is that we need to keep an eye on you. Not one of us, ever, has become a vampire, before our transformations or after. We have no idea what it will mean for _anyone_, especially you. Unfortunately, it's mainly to make sure you're not dangerous, or we're here to destroy you." Sighed Jacob.

"The only other thing that bloodsucking family said was that the three of your transformations happened painlessly and within a matter of hours." Embry piped up again. "Yours was the shortest, two hours."

I hissed in frustration. Vampires were not evil by nature, the Volturi were the only exception really, and they were just misunderstood creatures trying to live. The Cullens had found a way out of human blood; other vampires had found it too. No vampire deserved to be treated the way that they were being treated now. "The Cullens should not be treated the way you treat them! Embry you're the worst person at trying to understand emotions I've ever met!" I spat curling up at the window wanting to be out.

"Oh _joy_, it's the one with a temper. Paul could teach her a few things about now. At least we know we have the right _vampire,_" Embry whispered.

Embry leaned toward Jacob and whispered something as Jacob pulled the car to a standstill on the side of a dirt road. He was out of the car within seconds. I found myself on the ground instantly afterward because he'd opened the door so quickly. He yanked me up grabbing a hold of my wrist and walked me toward a small patch of brush. It was tall enough to hide us from any unwanted eyes but thin enough that I could make out the shapes of people walking by. When he stopped he dropped my hand and paced in front of me a few times before looking at me.

He cringed; I figured I must look thirsty. "What?" I put much more acid into my question than needed.

"Couldn't you just try and act excited?" he grumbled. "Your grandfather told us a few years ago you'd be overjoyed to be part of a werewolf pack."

"You spoke with my grandfather?" I was amazed that my grandfather would bother with something he wasn't completely a part of. I shook the feeling off. "Maybe I'd like being a vampire better," I grumbled.

He looked at me with disbelief and possibly hysteria.

"Okay," I sighed, "So I thought it would be cool. I also thought Embry wouldn't be so much like Paul was described in the books. I just don't like having things thrust upon me without my consent." Unnecessary anger flared up in my chest. "How would you feel in my position?"

"I'm not sure how I would feel in your position but I wasn't the one that wanted you to be here under constant surveillance." He shot back making me feel somewhat guilty.

"Oh, but you seem quite eager for me to change into a werewolf!" I yelled. "Even if I did change what was the point of joining if I was so far away, like in FEDERAL WAY?"

"We didn't want to take a risk of exposing ourselves." Jacob mumbled. "It was going to be top priority come June." He seemed truly sad and I felt bad. I was acting on my last nerves when, obviously, he wasn't the one running the show.

"Oh," was all I could manage. "Since the incident with the Volturi I've been one of the worst people to think rationally."

"I can understand _that_ position. You fainted at the sight of me remember?"

Was that a laugh I heard? No, it couldn't have been. I couldn't help but blush and tried to hide my face at that thought. "Yes I remember." I said after I'd felt the warmth leave my cheeks. "That doesn't explain why I've been stuck with a throbbing head." Trying to change the subject.

"You feel others' emotions, like…um…Jasper? Right? Take the fact that Embry and I thought that hitting our heads against a heating unit would hurt us terribly took toll on you. You can't control the emotions in a room but you can feel them and they react with your body."

"That makes a little bit more sense. Not a bunch, but some."

He laughed but it was sweet and easy. I could tell he wasn't trying to make me feel bad. "Vampiric powers suck." I mumbled.

"I'd be willing to bet it makes the bloodlust more worthwhile. Speaking of which, is it like unbearable right now?"

"No, why?" I asked.

"Because we're on the very edges of the town," He pulled one of the lower branches aside and I could see so many people it made me nauseous. "There are people everywhere as you can well see." He looked at me hopefully, "Welcome…um…home?" A deaf person could tell he was questioning his own words.

"No. This isn't my home." Jacob's face seemed to slide into it's own depression so I added in the rest of my thought, "At least not until we figure out what's going on with me." He sighed as I turned around to head back the way we'd come.

He grabbed my wrist again. "OUCH!" It burned twice as badly as it had before. I yanked my hand away. "What the heck are you doing? That hurts!"

"I didn't do anything," He said as if he were truly surprised. I could feel worry radiating off of him but saw him try and hide it by putting on a "poker face." He turned around and ran out of sight. I felt like staying since I didn't know the area well. There wasn't much else I _could_ do but sit and wait.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

After a long time of waiting I heard Jacob coming with Sam was on his heels. I stood not knowing how else to react to a pack leader.

"It's fine." Sam spoke, "You may stay seated if you like." He wasn't at all like I thought he'd be. Larger than Jacob, yes, but he was much kinder than I had imagined. "She looks much older in person." He told Jacob.

"We all do don't we?" Jacob asked pointing to himself.

"That's all well and dandy but I can't stand here forever either." I said.

"How old are you?" Sam asked.

I looked thoughtful for a moment as if really thinking about it. "Fifteen." I told Sam. "I don't look that much older do I?" I asked worried.

"Well, with added vampiric transformation you look about twenty-six."

"WHAT?"

"It's fine." Jacob said. "You'll fit in around here fine. Well, besides your white skin you'll be fine." I wouldn't have been able to control that anyway so I ignored his comment.

Sam held his hand out. I shook it as if only meeting him for the first time. "Sam." he said.

"I know exactly who you are. Shaking hands is usually done a bit earlier in conversations when people haven't been properly introduced." I stared angrily then lightened up as a smile spread across his face. I laughed lightly, "Kathryn."

"Oh, everyone already knows you. You're a bit loud when talking about sensitive matters by the way." Sam laughed. "Emily sounded excited about meeting you before I left."

"I was starting to wonder if all the human women were just story characters. Are you married yet or not?"

"In a few weeks. Very on top of things aren't you? You're talking about the Bella Swan character," Sam laughed. "No, as far as we know Bella was the only fictional character."

"I'd like to say that's a relief but then… What about James, Victoria and Laurent?" I asked.

"Never heard of James or Victoria," Jacob said, "but we did get rid of some vampire named Laurent not too long ago. A bit full of himself, kept repeating his name over and over while trying to escape." Looking worried he added, "Are these other two a threat?"

"The information from the books would speak favorably of the Cullens in this instant…" I thought a moment going over the books in my head, "James is a tracker, so if he decides he wants to feed on some specific human then it's safe to say that they're a threat."

Sam stroked his chin and then nudged Jacob's arm with his elbow. "If we have to keep her under constant surveillance, it might be nice to get something out of it."

"You've almost made an enemy." I stated plainly.

"Oh come on. It won't be that bad." Jacob teased trying to lighten the mood.

"I'll be treated like I'm in a hospital or worse!" I'd always hated hospitals. I'd even taking a special hate toward them in the last year or so.

"You really think that we would really do that?" Jacob asked.

"I'm willing to believe just about anything at this point." I said lowering my voice a bit.

"Are you saying that it's a bad thing to be protected?" Sam asked.

"Why would I need protection? I'm a vampire for crying out loud! The only reason I'm even being kept here is because you don't want me hurting anyone! Well, guess what? If I haven't tried to get at someone for blood by now, don't you think I won't do it any time soon?" I huffed.

"It's just a precaution. We have no idea how a vampiric mind works, how are we supposed to predict it?" Sam seeming to have a point.

But I had a better one, "Maybe you should ask someone who knows," I shot back, "Perhaps Edward Cullen would know, considering the fact that he can hear others' thoughts."

Sam and Jacob remained quiet for a few moments.

I continued, "Or how about Carlisle Cullen? He was the only one that understood how to deal with other vampires without causing commotions."

"I'd love to say that you have a point but, what happens when it's time for you to change?" Jacob asked.

"We can deal with that when it comes time. It's supposed to be four months or something, right? Well then let me live my life! Then I'll come back willingly and you won't have to hold me hostage!" I wanted to be able to see my friends, but it looked like I wasn't even going to get a phone call or two to them. "I'll call 911 if I have to." I threatened.

"Now honestly, think about that scene. You want a team of policemen in here? There are a bunch of werewolves living here, and you happen to be a vampire." Sam said.

I wasn't going to give up that easily, "I'll find some way to get out."

"We know. We asked your little vampire friend Alice to keep your other friend, Katlynn… Or Kat I think her name was, on the lookout to find out if you tried to escape and you'd be back here in a heartbeat." Sam countered, he was starting to sound like a warden.

"Your heartbeat or mine?"

"Mine obviously."

I could tell I was starting to get through to him, breaking down his wall would be easier now. "I want to visit to the Cullens at least a once a week, no questions asked."

"You'll be escorted there and back." Sam phasing through my attack.

"I'm going home then. I'm stronger than both of you combined."

"Jacob, stay." Sam put his hand on Jacob's shoulder as he hunched over, preparing to phase to make my statement untrue. "You honestly don't want her hurt do you?"

"If I ran you wouldn't be able to catch me."

"Alice or your friend Kat would," Jacob countered this time.

"Neither of them would know till I was practically home."

"Fine, then start running." I could feel his hurt.

I turned around to start running but something held me in place. It wasn't something physical, it was something emotional. Jacob's emotions to be exact. Besides being hurt, they were also pretty sad. And was that heartbreak I sensed? "Fine. I'll stay." I turned back to face them. "I still want my visitation rights though."

"You've got those. Don't worry." Sam said. "You'll stay at Jacob's house. Now that we've had a funeral for his father, there's an extra room. No one else have any extra space anyway."

"What's the other reason?"

"What other reason? He's the only one that's got room with people we can trust."

"Sam, I can sense your avoidance. Why else am I staying at Jacob's?"

"That's his reason to tell." Sam threw over his shoulder as he left.

I was left to follow Jacob to my temporary home. _At least his spirits had lifted ever sense I'd said I'd stay._ I thought to myself.

When we got to his little house I felt somehow spoiled. I felt a strange urge to ask how large the bedroom _I'd be staying in_ would be. That might be my claustrophobia talking though. "Okay. So I'm here, now why am I staying with you, and don't say it's because you're the only one with room. There's more to it than that and I can't read minds."

"You're not ready to hear it." He sounded like he truly meant I wasn't ready. I had a strange feeling it had something to do with his minor heartbreak earlier.

"Okay, I'll bite. I don't have any clothes with me. How am I supposed to live with dirty clothes for four or however many months?"

"For all we know the Volturi are still out there waiting for you. _So_, I asked Alice to take you shopping for those, we can't risk your family so you can pack."

"Oh, _joy_! Shopping with Alice? That's going to be worse than shopping with my grandmother only this time I'll be able to keep up."

"Call your grandmother first to let her know she can tell your parents that you're here. Tell her you can do your homework from here too, just have your teachers e-mail you what you need. Alice was going to get you a laptop too," Jacob said. He handed me a phone.

"Don't need it. Got a cell." I said pulling my phone out of my pocket and waving it in the air in front of him. He nodded and left the room with his phone. I dialed and got a hold of my grandmother quickly. "Gramma, I'm here. I'm staying with Billy Black's son, Jacob."

"Great. How's Billy?" she asked.

"He passed away a couple days ago." I said trying not to sound joyous or depressed.

"Oh. Well, that's too bad. You got any ideas of how to tell your parents what's going on without telling them that you're being guarded until you turn into a werewolf?"

"I'd ask you how you knew everything but grandpa told you before he died didn't he Anyway, tell my mom that I'm getting to know more about grandpa by living with some of his friends and learning some culture while I'm at it. I'm not sure how to explain that I'm not able to sleep to them if I were living there anyway."

"Not able to sleep? That's not a symptom. What happened?"

"There's a group of vampires called the Volturi and they got to me before Jacob or the pack could." I said waiting for her to scream in terror or something.

"Oh. So you're one of the others then. You haven't fed have you?"

"Gramma! I can't even stand the sight of blood. How am I supposed to drink it?" I asked her.

"Just a precaution. Now I understand why they said it was so pressing. I've got to call your parents Katydid. I'm going to find out what I can about how to deal with what's happened to you. I'll get back to you quickly, okay?"

"Alright, thanks gramma. Love you."

"Love you too. Bye."

"Bye." I sighed and hung up the phone. Jacob was waiting in a hallway for me.

"I'm not sure but you might want to ask Alice to buy you some bedding too. I don't have any that would fit a teenage girl."

"That's fine. I can live with what you have. Besides, I won't be seeping much now will I?"

"No, but if we're going to put on a convincing charade, you might want to think about blending in. Alice will be here any second."

"You weren't kidding when you said I'd have an escort everywhere, were you?"

"Nope."

"_How fun_." I heard a car in the gravel driveway.

"She's probably jumping out of her skin waiting for you."

As I turned to walk towards the front door, he leaned down and kissed me, smack on the mouth and walked off. It burned. Just like his touch did, but it was almost like a good kind of burn. I walked to the car dazed. Alice was waiting in the driver's seat. She had her yellow Porsche, _of course_.

"You like it?" she asked. As I climbed into the front, Kat waved slightly, waiting patiently in the back.

"Not ecstatically. Yellow isn't my favorite of colors." I said forcing a smile.

"Well, maybe we'll have to get you some other color of car for your birthday."

"My birthday? Alice, I'm a vampire. I won't have another birthday."

"Oh yes you will. That's kind of a nice thing about you being a werewolf, you'll still age but slowly. Until you change anyway. Then you'll still have a birthday."

Before I knew it we were waiting in front of some mall, who knows where.

"This should be interesting." Kat said stepping out after Alice. I still sat dazed in the car. Alice came around the car and tapped me on the shoulder, snapping me out of my trans.

"I wish Edward were here," Alice said to Kat, "We'd know what she was thinking and be able to be just as excited as she seems to be." Alice turned to me, "Why are you so out of it? It's like you'd been kissed or something…WAIT! He kissed you, didn't he!"

"I'd rather not talk about it – if you don't mind." I shied away from her glare.

"Oh come on! You don't want to talk about your love interest and neither does Kat! You two are so unfair for teenagers."

"We're still new to the whole 'somebody loves you like that' kind of thing." Kat said standing up for herself as well as me. She had a sense about her though that said she wanted to hear all about it though.

"Fine. When you get used to it we'll have to talk." Alice grumbled.

"Where are we exactly? Like what city?" I asked.

"Hoquiam." Alice said. "The Hoquiam Mall to be exact."

"It might have been faster to run." Kat grumbled, surprising me.

"Oh, and you're the one complaining. It took us a whole seven minutes to get here. Maybe we would have been here in three if we ran." Alice said.

"Calm down Alice. She was just suggesting something." For whatever reason spending a whole half hour with a couple of werewolves had gotten me to the point that I always wanted to calm people down. "Would you feel better if I told you about my kiss?"

"It would greatly! But don't tell me until we're shopping. It's a normal thing to do."

"Not for me or Kat but, if you wanna wait that long, by all means."

"It won't take that long. Where do we start?" Alice asked as we looked at a directory in the mall.

"Target?" I didn't know. I'd never truly shopped before.

So we got ourselves a few pairs of jeans, a couple t-shirts and tank tops, and the necessary undergarments. Next we stopped by Sears. Alice insisted we get a couple dresses for spring. It was better than her giving us clothing out of her closet, because I actually felt fine wearing a dress by the time we left the store. Last we stopped by Macy's because she wanted to make me happy and got me my makeup. Somehow we talked Kat into getting some and she learned how to use it before we decided to stop by the mall's salon. I actually felt like a girl in those few hours. It was strange. I'd been a tomboy my whole life. I'd gotten my bangs a bright purple and the rest of my hair a bleached-honey blonde. It was awesome! Alice and I somehow talked Kat into getting her hair chemically curled so she had some body to her flat hair. It was adorable! The small curls that surrounded her face softened her hard features, as well as larger curls in the back that added some playful bounce. I'd eventually have to talk her into getting highlights because it would make it so much cuter but because of the chemicals used to curl her hair she wasn't hardly allowed to _touch_ it for a whole forty-eight hours.

We all got manicures and pedicures. Kat chose a darkish blue with gold flecks, Alice chose bright yellow with red hearts and I chose a French manicure with gold flecks. Pedicures gave Alice the idea that we now needed new shoes. Our arms were already overflowing with shopping bags. I was afraid only half the stuff would fit in her Porsche. She assured us that Edward would bring over another car with more room but only _after_ we were finished.

After the clothing and accessory shopping, Alice took us to a computer store and got Kat and I laptops with covers, bags, _all_ the attachments available, and even our names engraved in them. Mine was purple with small green stripes in it at various thicknesses. Kat's was a deep blue, almost like her nail polish, and all it did was shimmer.

By the time we had, gotten everything Jacob had suggested, and did everything Alice wanted to do, Kat and I had spilled all our gushy feelings and everything that had happened between us and our new love interests. Luckily we'd still gotten away with enough clothes, shoes and everything to fill all four seasons of the year. As she promised Edward was waiting with another car ready to take Kat, her stuff, and half of Alice's stuff back to the Cullens' house. That left just enough room in Alice's Porsche for my stuff and half of hers.

We drove back to Jacob's house and she helped me set up everything, including the unbelievable. She'd bought and not told me about. Apparently Jacob had been in on it. By the time we got back, his old room had been painted a muted sea green. A temperpedic mattress waited, staring at me as I'd entered the room. Alice insisted on having the honors of making my bed with golden colored sheets and the sea green and baby blue blankets she'd helped me, or rather forced me, to pick out and buy.

Then she made herself unwelcome. She put all my clothes away and arranged my shoes in the closet so they were all neat and tidy. "Alice. This has gone too far. It's my stuff."

"I know, but I like doing this kind of stuff and I like being with another girl. Not like Rosalie or Esme. They don't understand not having a normal teenage life."

"I don't either. I never liked being so girly. I don't know why, but I enjoyed it today. Now if you wouldn't mind leaving me in peace!"

"Fine, fine. Let me see your cell phone first though." I handed it to her. Suspiciously she typed a few things and then handed it back. "There. You've got all our numbers now. You need anything, you give one of us a call. Don't come to us or you'll get us in trouble too. You'll have to abide your escort rule at all times. We don't want werewolves on our front steps." She said looking very serious.

"Oh stop with the over protectiveness. I'll be fine. I'm only following the rules that I have to anyway."

"I know. Just try not to get on too many nerves. When Kat's hair can be touched we're going to the spa. Hopefully by then you'll have gotten…Jacob, I was just leaving." Jacob walked into sight of the doorway, "Call me," she said to me holding her hand up to her ear. She slipped past Jacob and out into her car. Then she was gone like she'd never even been here at all.

"I take it she had a good time."

"I didn't have too bad a time either. Thanks for asking."

"Oh, that I could tell. When you walked in and were speechless after all your talking with Alice up the stairs, I figured that one out."

"Don't talk like that to me! I'm not a joke."

"Of course you're not."

"And since we're playing 'say what's on your mind,' why did you kiss me?"

"You're still not ready for that answer yet."

I sat down on the bed and patted beside me, "I'm listening, now talk."

"I like you, a lot."

"You've only known me for… Oh my god! You imprinted on me didn't you?" I exclaimed.

"Yes."

I stared at him in all my shock I hadn't noticed my jaw hung open until he reached over and closed it for me. It didn't burn like it had before.

"Please say something." He begged, arms folded against his chest.

"But…but…how?" I asked mystified, "How could a werewolf imprint on a vampire?"

"Imprinting works in ways we don't understand. It's like a flame that can never be extinguished. No matter how much you try and freeze it out with a fire extinguisher. It gets larger the more accelerant you use on it. You read the books, no one controls who they imprint on. You weren't supposed to be a vampire anyway."

"When?"

"When what?"

"You know very well what." I said, slight rage entering my voice.

"I know. I just love hearing your voice."

"Cheesy romance. Make it stop!" I held my head like I was in pain though he knew it was just my way of acknowledging that I knew he wasn't lying.

"When you fainted." He admitted as I sat back up. "Now everyone but your little family of vampires knows."

"Everyone?"

"Well everyone in the pack and their imprintees."

"Joy. That means I'm stuck with you then doesn't it?"

"That was the other reason that you're staying with me."

"Is that why it took so long to get Sam to come and speak with me?"

"Kind of, sort of." I felt like smacking him but I didn't.

"Remind me to kill you later." I said yawning. I hadn't realized how drained I'd become since shopping with Alice. Then the idea hit me again, "I'm tired. If I'm a vampire that's not supposed to happen."

"Well…"

"You knew this would happen." This time I did hit him. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I knew that you'd react this way if not worse."

"That's no reason…" I was cut off when my phone went off. I held up a finger and mouthed hang on a second. Not bothering to check the caller ID I answered. "Hello?"

"Kathryn Ouellette. We have a question to ask you."

"Who is this?" Suddenly I was terrified.

"Who else would this be?" a deep male voice that sounded slightly old asked.

"Aro?" I asked, Jacob jumped beside me. "I thought we agreed on twenty years."

"We did. I was just calling to make sure that you were still alive. I was informed that you'd been kidnapped by a werewolf pack just past the Olympic Mountains. You need to leave them and stay with the Cullens – unless you want an invasion." I shivered uncontrollably. " I'm warning you. Three days. We'll attack if you haven't left the set boundaries."

"What if I refuse because I _want_ to stay?"

"Then we attack immediately."

"What do you want? It's more than where I'm staying. You know I can tell."

"If you're asking for another compromise, you're not getting one." It was a female voice this time.

"You want me to have less time to think upon it? I'll take ten years then."

"Much appreciated. But the longer you stay around them, the more like them you'll become. For your sake, you must stay with the Cullens."

"So, you did know about my destiny! I'll hunt you down myself if you don't leave me alone!"

Jake put his hand on my shoulder. He was concerned for my safety, if not slightly for the rest of Forks. It would be one against I had no idea how many. He had too many other vampires on his side.

"We'll be there in three minutes."

Jake took the phone out of my hand and talked to Aro himself. "You leave her alone now. You want to talk to her, wait at the border and talk. You shouldn't have turned her anyway. What were you thinking – poisoning a werewolf?"

I couldn't hear what Aro said, but Jacob was starting to shake violently. "Now you listen! And you listen good! I've got a good pack of ten behind me. Not to mention the Cullens who'd gladly protect her. You don't get anywhere without hitting a snare!" He handed my phone back to me.

"Yes?"

"We will talk. You come without an escort or you know what Jane will do to them."

"Leave them out of this!"

"Only if you do. Three minutes, the border. If you're not there we'll start burning down houses. I suggest you get here, and quick."

The line went dead. I could almost feel my heart pounding with the pouring rain outside.

I looked at Him, "They told me to go alone."

"You're not going alone."

"I have to! You have no idea what they're capable of!"

"I don't care."

"I do! If you don't stay here and I'm not there in two minutes, they'll start burning houses! Please! Just listen to me. I know what I'm dealing with."

"Alright. Promise me you'll be okay though."

"I'll be back in time for dinner."

He bent down and kissed me again. I'd have to document it for the spa trip Alice was going to force me to talk at.

"I love you," he said as I walked out the door and started running toward the border.

By the time I reached the border I had about three milliseconds to spare. "ARO! I'm here! What do you want?" I had to shout above the rain.

"You to come with us." I could barely make what he said.

"I told you twenty years. We had a bargain!"

"And you changed that bargain on the phone saying ten years. Now I'm changing it again. If you don't come now – you'll die tonight."

I couldn't help but shake at his words. That was why he wanted me alone; it was easier to carry me off with no one to interfere.

"What's your choice?"

I heard the words before I saw the others around me. "I'm not even allowed to even try and live a life?" I felt defeated, but I had no other option. I couldn't hurt Jacob by getting myself killed, and I couldn't hurt him by leaving either. "I'm not even allowed to enjoy what I have left before my sixteenth birthday?"

"It's too dangerous for you when there are werewolves present. If you want to live, you have to come with us. Being both a vampire and a werewolf either kills you or makes you vulnerable enough that you are neither again. Do you honestly want to take the chance that you'll kill yourself?"

"Why are you concerned?" I was surprised at the emotions around me.

"We want you on our side or we would have killed you that night you were out walking around." Jane spoke with such venom it almost knocked me over.

"Don't listen to Jane. She doesn't like the fact that we have to abide by their rules while we're here. She's thirsty and needs to get back to Italy."

"Then go back. I'll be there in ten years." I turned around to walk back.

"I hate to have to put you through this… Jane." Aro lifted a hand and walked away, leaving me fearful and oblivious to what was occurring.

Within seconds I was curled into a ball trying to fight the pain I felt. It was beyond excruciating, beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I felt two hands on my shoulders, hauling me up towards a someplace that I couldn't even open my eyes to see.

When the pain lifted, I was in back of the Cullen's house. Kat was sitting beside me. Morning had come.

"You okay? I sensed you were talking to Aro and Jane by the border. Then my sense clouded over and you ended up here," she said.

"Are they gone?"

"Aro and Jane? Yes."

"Where?"

"Back to Italy I think." Kat said. "Why?"

"I can't go with them." Kat looked puzzled so I continued. "I made a deal to save my life the night that I changed. I told them…"

Edward walked over. "She told them twenty years so they'd leave her alone. She hoped to come up with some way to get out of it, but they called. She tried to bargain again by saying ten years so she could stay with Jacob. But, they wanted her now and Aro was prepared to take her back if Jane hadn't actually found a way to injure her."

"I thought Jane's ability was only though mind." I said.

"It _was._ Then she met you. Your ability to feel others' emotions makes you feel their pain or whatever else they are feeling. Jane wanted see you in real pain therefore you were actually injured the way she only wishes she could do to others. And yes, they really did leave for Italy. I told them that because of what they did, you should be free to do as you please. Since you spared their lives. They accepted."

"Thank you," I said. I was flabbergasted, I was really free to do as I pleased. "Can someone give me a ride back to the reservation? I'm still not allowed anywhere without an escort" I grumbled my self-pity.

"Alice has the car waiting," Kat said helping me up off the ground. "I suggest a hot shower before you change." She gave me a tight hug.

"You tried out squeezing Emmet yet?" I got the mental image of Edward's 'brother' looking uncomfortable in a tight hug he couldn't escape. It brought a smile to my face.

"Nope. But I'll sure give it a try now that you mention it."

"Great. See you next week," I said walking toward the front of the house.

By the time Alice dropped me off in the boundaries of the reservation, Jacob had run to every house he knew of, asking if they'd seen me. When he saw me I had to sidestep to stay on my feet. He was not the lightest of huggers.

"I suppose you missed me," I said as he embraced me.

"Only a little." He held me at arm's length then kissed my forehead. "You've been missing for three days now. Of course I missed you!"

"Three days! Are you sure?" I hollered.

"Positive." Now I could see why he was so worried. Three days was a long time. Why hadn't Kat told me – unless it was all a dream I was having. No. That wasn't the best thing to think. He kissed me again and this time I kissed him back. When he pulled away, I felt dizzy. My breath came in gasps and I felt like I was walking on clouds.

Our first kiss hadn't been what I would have considered a first kiss. Not when I hadn't responded, this was our first kiss, in a way it was my first kiss though I would consider the first actual kiss he'd given me my first. "We should be getting you back so you can have some proper sleep." He said took my hand and lead me towards his house, my house for the next three or so months. For the first time it actually felt like home.

_I shook in pain and agony. Every once in a while I would let loose a terrifying scream as I added a new pain to the list of pains I now felt. I felt like I was being torn in two, only then did I realize that my hands were burning and flashing as white paws and my hands before my eyes. I was in a tent. Somewhere outside, the sun shone. I let loose another scream before I saw Jacob. He must have come to 'my rescue' but all I could see on his face was sorrow. I was in too much pain to tell what he was feeling. He must be feeling pain, because the pain I was feeling only got worse after he had come into the tent. He squeezed me tight against his chest and held me there for what felt like seconds before he rose. _

"_Everything is going to be okay. I'll see you again one day. I just hope it's not too long from now." He left. _

_Soon afterward I was plunged into darkness, cold yet burning. Only then did I realize, I was dying._

I woke up screaming. If my heart could beat it would have threatened to leap from my chest where I lay. It must have been dream. That was sort of a relief.

Jacob flung the door open. "What happened?"

"Nothing. Just had a nightmare." I said as he sat down next to me.

"What about?" he asked.

"You left, then there was nothing."

He held my face in his hands. "You know I'll never leave you, right?"

I managed to nod and he pulled me close against his chest almost as if daring anything to get at me while he was there. "You need to tell me if you ever have a dream like that again."

"You sound like my mother."

"I'm sorry but a werewolf becoming a vampire has only happened once before. Before she changed she witnessed her death in her dreams over and over again where her boyfriend left and then there was nothing. She had dream visions and as far as we know all werewolf turned vampires have them but we only have one to go off of to help with you."

"Who was it?" I knew he knew.

"Your grandfather's grandmother. She died the day her change came, but she left your grandfather's father in this the world. We didn't live very long after imprinting back then, so people found a way to pass their bloodline down for other generations. It stopped with your grandfather. He carried the stories of his mother with him when he came to live with us. He left for Alaska shortly after claiming he didn't belong here, took your grandmother Nancy with him too."

"So both were my destiny then?" _So I was doomed from the start. Great._

"You've been the only female in your bloodline to inherit the powers of a werewolf. Your grandmother recognized it the night you were born. She was tempted to have you all move over here, to keep you safe from the other side of your destiny. She warned us, I'm sorry we didn't take her more seriously and keep a better eye on you." His sorrow and guilt overwhelmed me leaving my already sore body out of all energy.

"You don't need to be sorry. It was just dumb luck that had me walking around in the middle of the night when the Volturi happened to be in town. I wasn't prepared. If my grandmother had told me more, I might have been able to trick them into thinking I'd changed. It's really not your fault."

"I'll never forgive myself for not listening more carefully."

"I'm still here, remember? You can feel sorry if I die, no sooner. Besides, you'd feel less sorry if you hadn't imprinted on me."

"No. Well, maybe, but hey, we'll never know. And fine, I'll feel sorry when you die."

"None of that! IF I die, then you can feel terrible for yourself. I might be different, you never know," I yelled.

"Alright. No negative thinking." He said kissing my forehead. "Love you."

"Love you too."

I slept soundly the rest of the night and decided I'd get up early enough to make breakfast for him. He'd done so much for me it seemed the least I could do.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

When he came downstairs I had a batch of seventeen scrambled eggs waiting as well as two baker's dozen of donuts. "Hungry?" I asked.

"You bet I am" he said taking a seat and wolfing down the food like he hadn't eaten since the day I'd disappeared. I kissed the top of his head and went to change out of my pajamas.

I had put on a blue Hawaiian print dress. I decided I'd try and curl my hair. It was now boring and completely strait so it would be fun to try something new. I kept the make-up to a minimum using only faint gold eye shadow, soft brown eyeliner and a bit of blush. I didn't look unnaturally pale for my original skin but to anyone who hadn't seen me before my transformation, with rosy cheeks, would know automatically that they were looking at a vampire. I didn't even have the slightest idea of why I was getting so gussied up when I had nowhere to go. I figured 'Alice influence' instantly.

When I finished I called to Jake downstairs, "Hey Jake, you finished eating?" and I walked downstairs to find the kitchen empty of everything but the furniture. There was also a note on the fridge:

**Kathryn, sorry had an urgent call. Please don't leave the house, we'll send someone over as soon as we can spare someone. Loved breakfast, you never told me you could cook. Love you. - Jake**

If I cared so much that he'd be mad at me I would've tried to make a run for it. Instead I went upstairs to my room and checked me email. Junk, junk, junk, chain letter, junk, junk, spam, junk, junk, chain mail, chain mail… mom. I opened it.

Hey honey, just checking in with you. I'm glad you're getting a chance to learn about your grandfather's history. Hope that you find something interesting to put on our family tree or something. How are you? How has your workload with school been? What's up? Is there anything I should know about besides where you are staying and how I can get a hold of you? Your grandmother said that there might be a boy involved. When are you coming home?

My mom was always such a bother. I'd only been gone six or so days, it was like school camp, leave Monday come back Saturday, but I typed her a quick letter back.

Mom- I'm fine. You really need to stop worrying about me. I'm pulling strait A's. There are a few people here who know Spanish, so they're teaching me and I'm learning a bit of Indian sign language. It's great culture and experience. Grandpa was a very interesting young man. They've got some interesting legends… He was part of like old-world police for the tribe. He left later, after he met gramma. I should be coming home near the end of August. It'll be nice up here over the summer and I want to stay and be able to watch the sun set every night. I'd love it if you'd come and visit over the summer. It's so nice up here. Hardly ever rains where I'm living and it's the most beautiful of beaches I've ever seen. Just call me on my cell, number's the same. I may charge it now and again. If you're having trouble getting a hold of me that's probably why. I'm going camping in a few days with a couple of my new friends so you won't be able to reach me then but I'll call you if you leave me a message.

There _is_ a boy involved. His name is Jacob…Jacob Greene. He's really sweet, I think you and dad would approve. He is a year and a half older, but is so mature for his age, it's like he's been living at seventeen for the past three years. Love you a ton, have fun with whatever you're doing and write back soon. -Kathryn

I finished and sent the message and then felt a hand on my shoulder. I automatically jumped. "Sorry. Name's Leah. I'm supposed to be a regular guard. Today of all days." She grumbled.

"Prison sentence. My _favorite_." I grumbled back. "Why was today so special anyway?"

"Got a whiff of a vampires hunting on our land. It was a female and a male. Both looking for something. A couple hikers saw 'em, and lived to tell the tale."

"Joy, So are you going to be just like Paul? Tell'n me to stay in my room, talk the whole time and then leave?"

"No. Paul isn't the greatest of people, but he's one of the best guards you could have. Anyway I was thinking a hike or some swimming. Which would you prefer? I'm supposed to be making sure you have a good time, or Jacob'll kill me."

"Don't care," I shrugged. As long as she wasn't like Paul I was fine with pretty much whatever.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. If you just wanna sit and watch TV while I'm here working on my homework, that's fine too. Got a ton of it anyway."

"Naw, I think we should go hiking and then go for a swim."

"Alright, I'll change and we can leave."

"Great! Oh, Jacob wanted to know where you picked up donuts."

"I took a trip downtown." I confessed feeling a bit timid.

"I won't tell him. I'll just say Emily dropped them by and she'll go along with it."

"Thanks, Leah. I didn't expect you to be so nice."

"Why? Oh that book series thing. Yea well, the other thing they got wrong is that I introduced Sam to Emily hoping that they'd click instantly. I didn't realize that it was so literal until I heard the stories myself. It was my fault though, her face. Sam apparently hadn't quite gotten over me and it made him mad. I told him to get over it because I knew how much he liked Emily and she walked into the room right as he changed. Shocked me too. I think the blow was supposed to be for me."

"That's interesting news. Can I…?"

"No. They can't know that the places in the books and what not exist or you'll have the whole world either werewolves or vampires! Sorry. It's too dangerous."

"Fine." I growled. It wasn't like it wasn't going to happen anyway.

We left after I'd changed, again, and Leah just talked and talked like she had never done it before today. She probably hadn't talked to anyone her age that might understand what she was going through.

She talked on and on about how she'd had crushes and wished she could imprint on one of the finer looking ones when it happened. She also said something about being jealous that Jacob had imprinted on me. I didn't blame her, Jake was like every girl's dream come true. Very well muscled, never put on a shirt, shaggy black hair and the glow of his russet-brown skin. The strangest thing she said was that she missed having someone to talk to like her best friend that had moved just before she was supposed to change, just because her parents didn't want her to be like that.

We swam after our hike 'n' chat for a while and finally finished when the sun went down. I was surprised how easy it was to loose all my feelings and that she could listen without judging me.

The weeks passed by and Leah became my guard more often. Apparently Victoria and James were on their land and it was becoming a danger trying to predict their next moves. I was surprised that they'd predicted James for that long, he was a pretty cleaver tracker.

Leah and I would watch movie networks with ice cream and chocolate close at hand. Every once in a while we'd head down to the movie theater to see a movie on the big screen.

Then there was the week she taught me how to drive. I'd never actually given someone a heart attack before. I almost gave one to Leah. By the end of the week she said I was ready for my driver's test. If I'd only had enough hours. Anyway, as long as I had someone with me, it wouldn't be breaking the one rule I had – being with someone who knew how to protect me.

I awoke one morning with another note on the fridge.

**Kathryn - Call Alice, we can't spare anyone today. It's too dangerous. As much as we hate it we need the mind reader's help so Alice and Kat are the only ones free to keep an eye on you. I'll teach you how to drive the motorcycles as payment for your torture, love you. - Jake**

I called Alice. She was over in minutes ready to head to the spa with Kat and I.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

When we entered the Hoquiam Spa we had to make appointments with the treatments we wanted so we looked through a brochure to see what they had. They had so many things that sounded painful so we decided on a hot rock treatment, followed by a mineral wrap and then an herbal masseuse.

They only had a couple spots open and the earliest wasn't for a few hours so we decided to go and get

our mani-pedis re-done and get Kat her highlights now that her hair had finally settled.

It was like looking at a picture when her highlights were in. She looked like a girl ready to be a fashionista. She was just lacking the interest in such things, thankfully. I'd gotten enough of that from Alice.

During our wraps we talked about a ton of things that had happened to the two of us. Alice had come up with a forty-third honeymoon plan for her and Jasper and she'd planned on visiting her niece. I'd been forced to spill about the few more times Jake and I had made out and that he was still trying to talk me into being able to sleep in the same room. Alice thought I was being unreasonable, there wasn't anything he could do, it wasn't like I was vulnerable enough for him to force anything on me and that it was sweet he wanted to be so close.

Kat however refused to spill anything saying that it wasn't any of anyone's business and that if we really wanted to know we'd have to get inside her head and extract the information. I shared the fact that I was becoming friends with Leah and that I was generally enjoying myself even though I was on constant lock-down. I failed to mention the run in with Paul trying to be the one to "guard" me and that it took me four hours to fill in all the holes he dug up in the driveway. In short he'd gotten on enough of my nerves to make wild cougars look like mice nibbling on cheese.

By the time we were getting back I was starting to feel uneasy. "Hey you know that feeling you get when you can feel something bad is going to happen?"

"Ya, I feel it too." Kat said, "Keep your eyes on the road!" she screamed at me and I looked up just in time to see that there was someone standing in the road and a car coming from the other direction. I slammed on the brakes swerving towards the side of the road where there wasn't any more road. We got out of the car as it came to a stop to find out what was wrong. The man standing in the road was gone though like he'd just vanished from thin air. The only glimpse we'd gotten of him was that he was fairly tall and had blonde hair. Other than that we had no idea where he'd even stood.

"I guess that was why." Alice mumbled.

"There was something oddly familiar about him though." I said getting back into the car. I wasn't going to drive after that incident.

"Ya, like we'd seen him before. It wasn't one of the Volturi though. Alice would have seen that." Kat said. She decided to drive the rest of the way back to Jake's house.

When we got back, Jake was out of the house faster than usual. He stopped just barely in front of me and lifted me in the air, "I don't do too well with heights." I reminded him.

He set me down, "Sorry. You're beautiful." He kissed me tenderly, his arms around my waist.

"This is different from any other day, _because_?"

"I wish this was one time you two could practice some modesty." Kat grumbled getting into the passenger seat again before Alice would drive them home.

"Oh, like you wouldn't be doing the same thing with Edward." I scoffed.

"Not publicly, if at all." She grumbled. I sensed there was more she wasn't saying but I was preoccupied.

"This isn't publicly. It's in front of you and Alice." As if to prove my point I reached up and kissed him again. Softer than usual, making a point of intimacy.

"Public enough to stay away from it." Kat grumbled closing the door.

Alice stuck her head out the window before she drove away, "Have a good night you kids!"

"So, now that they're gone…" Jake said, still cradling me by the waist.

"You want me to make you dinner again, right?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of a movie. I've already eaten."

"A movie sounds nice."

"Great. I picked up the latest romance…"

"UGGGGGG! You know I hate that crap! Romance is boring and slow."

"I know. I picked up the latest thriller. I forget what it's called, something like a remake of The Birds."

"Now that's the kind of movie I can watch."

"There's that smile I love so much."

"Stop. Honestly they're gone. You don't have to put on a show to get them to leave."

"Alright, come on in."

We watched the movie but the whole time I could sense uneasiness about him. When I'd look up at him he'd only look back and smile. When it ended I'd fallen asleep four times and had dreamt twice of my death again. I was glad that Edward hadn't revealed my little dreams when he was helping Kat make sure I was okay. For all I knew they were just dreams.

"I'm sleeping with you tonight. No questions."

"What did you find?" I asked suddenly angry.

"It's not safe. The mind reader said that they were looking for you on an assignment."

"That makes my life so much easier. Constant guard, in your house… Now I don't even get a room to myself? I am in prison."

"Don't talk like that. It's for your protection."

"Stop telling me that! I'm sick of excuses. I would have been quick on my feet if you'd just asked me to come and live with you because you loved me! I feel like a hostage here sometimes. It's too much for me to handle. The dreams, the never ending escort, the never getting any me-time anymore. I can't take it!"

"Stop, please." He whispered into my hair. I looked up, tears forming in my eyes.

"I miss my family, my friends, my life. I can't take two minutes to even talk to any of them on myspace. It's been a month and a half now, I've only gotten two emails to my mother, that's been it."

"I know. It's for safety's sake."

"I'm hard as a rock, basically the living dead. How much more safe could I get?!"

"With me here, not much safer."

"Then why do you have to keep running off?"

"Because I'm second in command of the pack."

"Well if it's that important to you, I _will_ leave."

"Don't do that, please."

"You love me more than life, I've heard it before. For some reason it sounds more sincere when someone else tells me. Jake, I love you, but I can't live with you _forever, _not like this. I need my space and the reservation is the place where I'm being fenced in. Let me go down to Seattle for a week. Let me show my teachers I'm alive. Anything. Just let me spend a week with my family and friends. I can't kill anyone if I haven't tried to already. I've got another month and a half anyway."

"Fine. One week, but I'm coming with you."

"Don't make this so complicated."

"No, I'm saying I want to meet your family and friends. If they mean that much to you, I should understand why, should I not?"

"Fine. You'll have to get a hotel then. My parents will never let you stay in the house if they know we're dating. Oh and I had to change your name for _safety's sake_."

"Who am I when we go to Seattle then?"

"Jacob Greene."

"Not very creative are you?"

"I didn't want to have to work off of a script when we were down there," I told him motioning toward my laptop.

"You knew that I was eventually going to let you go back?"

"A dream I had before I read my mother's email."

"Then did you see what happened down there?"

"No. I just saw most of this conversation." I laughed.

"Good."

"Why?"

"It's a surprise." He said patting my hand.

"I don't like surprises from you."

"Like the first kiss I gave you? Or the bedroom?"

I scowled at him as he spoke. "Not when they're including my family and friends."

"I borrowed some money from the Cullens. I was going to take you and your family out to dinner and then I was going to propose."

"Oh god! Maybe I would have liked that better as a surprise." I said sarcastically.

"Told you." He leaned down and kissed me knowing I wasn't being sarcastic.

"Ingenious way to get my family to move up here too."

"Hadn't thought of that, but I guess it could work."

"It'd be nicer if I could go down and just show them the ring though – easier to convince my parents they can't stop me."

"I was going to get it in Seattle."

"You were going to ask me if I wanted to go down, too?"

"It was for…" I cut him off before he could anger me any more by saying "your protection" again.

"Just say yes before I get the urge to break your jaw."

"Yes."

"No more about safety's sake. I'm a reckless teenager that said was never going to get engaged before the age of twenty-six and now I'm here throwing my life away."

"I'm not that bad am I?"

"Of course not. I'm just saying I'm pretty much throwing away all that I've been working for. Getting married will get me out of going to college. Or at least keep me in the state of Washington."

"We're moving to New York the month after you graduate."

"REALLY?" I threw my arms around him embracing him in a kiss. "I know I've said this before but I'm going to say it again: Jake you're awesome!"

"And you don't even have to marry me until after you've got your fancy piece of paper either."

"Just because high school graduation is a requirement, doesn't hold that kind of thing back." I told him.

"I thought you wanted to go to college and getting married would only ruin it for you."

"Only if the one I loved was making me stay. But you're taking me there! I couldn't imagine a better person to marry."

"Then you want me your eighteenth birthday?" Jake asked.

"Are you crazy. My parents would kill me if I didn't at least have my high school diploma."

"Fine, fine. Just a suggestion."

"If my parents wouldn't kill me, I'd take you now." He kissed me again softly and lifted me to my feet.

"We'll leave tomorrow then and we can stop by the store and get your ring there if you want to that much."

"So much."

"Opal?"

"Stalker!" My hand flew in front of my mouth as if saying 'oh no you didn't.'

"I should hope so," was his reply.

"Jacob Black, you are the strangest of werewolves yet to walk the earth. We make a perfect match."

"What gave me away?" he asked as innocently as possible.

"The fact that you imprinted on a vampire."

"Oh, shoot." He kissed me again and before I knew it we were up against a wall out of breath.

I wished I didn't have to do it, but I pushed him away. "I love you, but I need my sleep – just like you need yours."

"Sleep? Who needs that?"

"Stop that." I told him walking into my room.

"I'm in here tonight remember?"

"Oh, darn. You've found a loophole. How dare you outsmart me."

"What?" he looked astonished, almost.

"I can't deny my fiancée a shared room now can I? You've got floor though."

"You were going to accept anyway."

"What gave _me_ away?" I asked using the same tone he had earlier.

"Alice mouthed it to me, I thanked her for making you more flexible."

"A body of stone flexible, you've got quite the imagination."

"At least I try. Greene? What were you thinking? Colors?"

"Yes," I admitted sheepishly.

He slept on the floor because I still wasn't comfortable with the idea of sharing a bed. To be honest, I'm not sure I'd ever get used to the idea.

The death dream followed me more and more. Time after time. This time I couldn't wake up. When I did wake up I was sweating. It was then that I realized Jake had crawled into bed with me. He'd probably thought he'd be up before I woke. I let him sleep and got up to pack a few things to take to Seattle. When Jake woke up it was already past noon. "I guess we're going to have to get a hotel room anyway."

He looked stiff, "I'm still half asleep, you're going to have to drive."

"I'm not used to long trips. The longest trip I've been on is over the speed limit down to Hoquiam. We can wait a few minutes, or hours if need be."

"You can drive for an hour. I'll be awake enough to drive the rest of the way. Just stay under the speed limit and you'll be fine."

"I've got a need for speed though." _Wow that sounded corny._ "But slow will bore me to sleep and then we'll get in an accident."

"You worry too much. If I can trust you, can't you trust yourself?"

"I'll be driving illegally on open highway. No! I cannot trust myself!"

"Would you rather run, then explain to your parents why it took you only an hour to get home?"

"No. I'll drive."

I went downstairs and grabbed the keys to his Rabbit. Oh man did I hate that thing. The second I had enough money I was buying him a _real_ car. When I walked outside, not only did I not see the Rabbit, there was a new jeep sitting there and the keys fit the ignition. "Jake, what did you do?"

"Asked for a borrow. Can't have your parents thinking I'm poor. Or make you drive a car you didn't like."

"I didn't say I didn't like it."

"No, you mumbled that you hated it last night. You were shivering. I could have sworn you were having a seizure."

"Oh. That's why you were sleeping so close." I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Yes. You are the strangest of vampires. Can't figure out if you are one, or if you're that good an actress."

"Very funny. You hear a heartbeat?"

He smiled.

"Do you hear _my_ heart beating?"

"Nice catch." He picked up my bag as well as his and threw them into the back of the jeep.

"The car is only a loan until your sixteenth birthday. Then it's yours." He said.

The shinny black jeep was almost a makeshift hummer, mine in a couple of months. "Cullens?"

"How'd you guess?"

"Just a hunch. The fat wad of money of theirs was a clue."

"Alice wanted to get you something special since you'd actually have a birthday."

"That too. Although, I thought she'd go for something like a green Porsche."

"Well, she was thinking that until I told her about your mumbling about a hummer in your sleep." He laughed. "You'll very easy to shop for if you keep it up."

"Great! So the mumbling thing is true. I haven't tried sleep walking yet have I?"

"Not that I know of but I'm usually asleep when you are." Jake said climbing in the passenger seat.

"You have a good alibi," I threw back sarcastically.

"Well I lied. This car isn't yours. Alice got it for me because she thought that my Rabbit was a bit of a disgrace. She hasn't actually bought yours yet."

"I'm not sure whether to take it as a relief or something to be scared of."

"She means well enough."

"Alright let's hit the road before it gets any later. Do you need me to get you any breakfast?"

"Nope. Just keep driving and after an hour pull over and I'll finish the other three hours."

"Alright. If we get pulled over though, what do I say?"

"You live on the reservation and we don't get permits. We just drive around on the reservation and eventually take a driver's test to get a license."

"Police go for that?"

"Most of them do. If they don't either one of us could keep them quiet."

"Oh sure, mess with _the man_ now."

"You need to step up your driving confidence. I've seen it. You're flawless."

"Sure, and I almost ran over some guy last night."

"You did what?"

"Some crazed lunatic was standing in the middle of the road and I was going somewhere around ninety and then I swerved and he was gone."

"Odd. What'd he look like?"

"Blonde hair, slightly muscular, tall. That was all we noticed though."

"Okay I'm driving."

"Now you understand my…Wait. What does the description of the guy make you suddenly want to drive?"

He climbed out of the passenger's seat and into the driver's seat pushing me into the passenger seat. "The fact that you don't want to drive fast enough."

"Huh?"

"That's James. One of the vampires looking for you."

"Then we can't go to Seattle. They'll find out where I live and they'll use my family against me."

"They already know. That was the reason I was going to ask you if you wanted to go down for a week. It'd give some time for them to try and attack and I could get rid of 'em."

"Did they talk to you?"

"No, the mind reader could tell."

"I wish you'd stop doing that."

"What?"

"Calling Edward 'the mind reader'."

"Well, you wouldn't allow bloodsucker."

"And here I thought you were different from the character in the books."

"Sorry. It's just too strange being informal about it since he is one of my mortal enemies."

"I wish that would stop. If it were that important to you I wouldn't be in the picture."

"You're different."

"Why? Because I don't bite and kill people? They don't either."

"But you don't even need it."

I blushed a bit, "Well, in a way I still do."

"What have you been doing?"

"Eating fresh cut meat."

"That's just plain disgusting."

"Well, sorry. I can't stand it either, but it's the only thing that sustains me. I can't kill something. It doesn't feel right. But I swear I never crave human blood."

"Good enough for me."

"And here I thought you wouldn't understand." Sarcasm dripped from that sentence like water out of a leaky faucet.

"Women." Jake muttered.

We were quiet until we neared Seattle. By then we'd stopped four times because of how hungry Jake got. I told him we could have just stopped once and said we had three kids to feed but he didn't want to spend too much money all at once. I thought it was silly seeing as he was going to buy me an engagement ring. "How much longer?" I asked.

"Its eight now." Jacob replied turning his headlights on.

"Eight! This was supposed to be a four to five hour drive! Why are we so late?"

"You fell asleep so I pulled over for a bit. You don't sleep very soundly."

"Oh," I muttered.

"On the other hand, now you can call your parents and tell them we'll be over tomorrow."

"I like the idea of a surprise better. Do you mind if we stop and get some presents for everyone as well? Something that looks Indian artifacts?"

"You're silly. We packed those before we left."

"Oh. Alright then. Here, take this exit," I said pointing to the ramp to the right off the freeway.

"Okay. I have no idea where any of the hotels are."

"Turn right." I grumbled as if he honestly couldn't see any of the towering hotels.

It continued until we finally got to a hotel just over by where I used to live. "I hope they have an extra room. I don't know of any hotels around here that give you rooms without reservations."

"Called ahead."

"And here I thought you didn't know you're way around."

"I didn't. You gave me the name of a hotel not too far away so that it was easier to come see you."

"Oh, no dinner with my parents at any fancy hotel restaurant or any fancy restaurant for that matter."

"Fine. Then how am I supposed to meet your parents?"

"Um…I was going to make dinner. It used to be a thing to get my allowance for the week. I had to cook dinner once a week." Now Alice just bought me everything I wanted…I didn't care for not earning money much.

"Well, you can cook anything I've seen you cook."

"Thanks but I really don't need the flattery."

"By the way, the stunt you pulled with the donuts…"

"You knew from the start. Sorry. I can't make them. I tried."

"That I saw too. That's why I let you get away with sneaking off."

I grinned sheepishly. "No prison?"

"Not by a long shot. Come on. Let's get upstairs."

"You ever stayed at a hotel? You gotta pick up the keys first." I laughed thinking how stupid it would look if he seriously just went up to a random room.

"No I haven't stayed at a hotel before, but I was going to grab a few things and meet you up there."

"Don't scale the building," I warned him.

"I won't. Just leave a key card at the front desk for me." He handed me a couple hundreds and a piece of paper with all the information I needed, kissed me, and then walked off toward the town.

"Nothing's open at eight silly." Mumbling I walked inside toward the front desk. "Reservations for Jacob Black." I said.

"Funny name for a girl like yourself." The woman answered back.

"No, I'm his fiancée."

"Oh, right then. Here's your key card. Would you like me to have one waiting for him when he returns?"

"Yes, thank you." She handed me a key card, "Top floor."

I entered the room expecting to see something so run down we'd want to leave immediately. He'd gotten a room on the top floor. Again walls in a sea foam green.

I heard a knock on the door and opened it, though I had no idea who it could be. Before I knew anything I had a bag over my head and my hands tied behind my back. "What's going on?" I asked worried.

The voice that spoke was male, smooth but tough. "The Volturi asked us to keep an eye on you and you left with the werewolf. That is unacceptable and you're coming with us."

"Us?"

"You don't know who we are? I thought since you were such a fan of the series you would recognize Victoria and I."

"What?" I squeaked.

"And here I thought she'd fight back a bit harder."

"I expected so, too."

I could feel hands tightening their grip on my arms. I started shaking involuntarily. "What are you doing, Victoria? She's needed alive and not as a werewolf!"

My body shook, as if having a seizure. "What does Aro want?"

"Silly girl, he wants you to join him. That's the stupidest question anyone's asked after being taken hostage."

"I'll come if you leave my family alone."

"Your family? I thought you were just going on vacation. Once you're out of the way we can't promise anything."

I struggled against the restraints I was held in. When I heard a key card I almost screamed but the bag was lifted quickly and a hand was over my mouth before anything could happen. I thought about biting it but it wouldn't have done any good.

When Jake saw the look of terror on my face, his intentions were apparent. Especially after Victoria lunged. This time I screamed but before I could really do anything, James was pulling me against a back wall and Jake had changed. I hid my head in the corner of the wall and tried to block out all the sounds I heard.

When I'd succeeded in blocking out all the noise I felt a hand on my shoulder, "Are you okay?" I barely recognized his voice after blocking out all noise in the room.

"What?" My arms had been freed when I turned around to face him. "What happened?"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you alone." He took me into his arms.

"No, I shouldn't have opened the door. I knew you'd get the room key."

"Please. If they wanted you that badly they could have just broken down the door." He paused, "Do you hear something?"

"Like what?" I stood silent for a moment. Sure enough, I could hear a pounding and felt strange. It was coming from my chest.

Jake gasped. "Your heart is beating."

"What? How could that happen?"

"You're not hurt are you?"

"No, I'm fine." I wrapped my arms up around his neck.

"That's good." He said kissing me lightly. It surprised me how careful he seemed to be with me. It wasn't like the Jacob Black in the book at all. He broke away for a moment. "You think too hard for someone of your age." I could feel my heart beat go to a slower pace and once again, it was gone. Jake paid no attention, as if he'd welcomed the silence.

"Better than not thinking about anything at all," I said.

"Sometimes. Now's not one of the better times to think."

"Of course you would say that."

"You think I'm going to take it too far. You're fifteen, live a little. I want you to live your life."

"All infinity years of it. Thanks," I stated sarcastically.

"I love you."

"Love you too, but I need some sleep before calling my parents."

"I stopped by the jewelers just as they were closing for the night. If we're there before noon he can get the ring and everything handmade by three."

"Perfect." He kissed me again as I crawled into the overly soft bed in the hotel room. As far as I could tell Jake was doing something in the bathroom before he crawled into bed with me for a bit of sleep himself.

I figured he'd probably disabled the smoke alarms and set James and Victoria aflame. Then fixed the smoke alarms again when the room had cleared out of the sweet smelling smoke of a burnt vampire.

I awoke the next morning to find Jake gone, probably out hitting four to five MacDonald's before I woke up. He'd left a note on the mini fridge telling me not to go into the bathroom for any reason, it was one of the worst places I could go in the hotel room. It was nine so I decided I'd call my parents, hopefully just to leave a message that I'd be home for a week and then I'd go back. Unfortunately, my dad answered the phone, "Hello?"

"Hey, dad. I'm going to be over today around three thirty or so today. I'll be home for a week before I go back to the reservation. Let mom know I have a surprise for all of you."

"Okay, great. We were going to go out to dinner tonight around six."

"Birthday dinner? You're birthday was two days ago though."

"We never celebrate anything on the right day."

"That's true."

"Oh, you're mom's up. I'll let you tell her the good news." My dad said.

"Hello?" my mom said.

"Hey mom. I'm going to be home for a week because I miss you all so much. I was hoping to cook dinner tonight. I have a friend coming over for dinner but, I don't think he'd mind coming to a restaurant with us."

"He?"

"Oh, you remember my boyfriend?" I almost whispered the last word. "He's the one that's driving me into town. I invited him to come over for dinner tonight."

"You never told me you were dating this boy."

"You haven't read the latest email, have you? I said it in the last one. You'll really like him though." I would have told her that I was on the verge of being married to the guy in a few years but that was a surprise I wanted her to have full impact over for the sake of my afterlife. I didn't want to give her time to think of how to murder me.

"Well, he can come with us to dinner then. I hope he won't mind Costco pizza."

"That's your idea of out?" I shook my head silently. "Alright I told him not to take us all out to dinner but now he'll have to. How about Olive Garden?"

"Alright. As long as it's his offering."

"Great. See you at 3:30. Bye!" I hung up the phone before my mother could say anything. It was just in time for Jake to come back.

"You seem to be in a fairly good mood."

"I just talked to my mom. They were going to just go out and have crummy pizza so I guess you get your wish to take us all out to dinner now."

"Olive Garden, I heard that part."

"You sound disappointed," I told him wrapping my arms around his neck.

"I do? Well, am I?" he said kissing me.

"Stop that. You know I try my best not to know."

"It's easier on me if you just know."

"Just like it would be easier on me if you could know how I feel all the time. There's not much of a fluctuating presence to you when I'm around though. You're either dreamily in love or you're pissed because you're not my main focus of my attention."

"Normally I would have to ask if I was that obvious…but…"

"But I'm me and I know. Please, I can figure things out for myself."

"You ready?"

"Ring?"

"No I'm getting you a puppy."

"Oh, shoot."

"What? I was being sarcastic," He said kissing me again. "I thought I was your only puppy."

"I know. But to normal people, you smell like a dog. Especially after last night. My cats will totally freak if they smell you. You're taking a shower."

"Then they won't smell me."

"But they have to when my parents force you to come back to our house when I announce 'the ring'."

"We can deal with it then."

"Alright. So where do we begin?"

"Getting to the jewelers first. Then you can pick the stone, the ring that will hold it, and then you'll get it fitted and we can go see a movie."

"Sounds great to me. Good thing today's Monday or my parents might be going out for lunch."

"Shall we?" he asked holding out his arm.

"Only if you let me hold myself up on my own two feet." He put his arm down and opened the door for me. "I don't know how I'm going to sleep tonight."

"Why?"

"Because I won't have my space heater."

"Man you take those books so seriously."

"Sorry. Untrue for most of it. I can't seem to get it through my head though. Why can't anyone say anything about them? I mean the werewolves. Why is it so secretive on the reservation?"

"I'm not so sure, honestly. I think it's just because they don't want to cause a commotion."

"That makes enough sense." _I guess…_

The jeweler took us into a back room to pick out the stones. I asked Jake to find a couple nice looking emeralds that would accent the heart shaped Australian opal that I'd chosen for the center. He found two emeralds as well as a couple aquamarines to put as accents. I told him that it would end up being my wedding ring too, the thing was so elaborate. He agreed. The band I chose was white gold with a couple intricate scrolls and small leaf-like shapes to hold the accent stones.

The jeweler said that it would be ready to pick up in two hours. It was twelve so we'd have time for lunch and be back to get it by two. Then face my family.

We saw a movie, something I didn't really understand and wasn't interested in watching. What interested me more was the fact that I wasn't going to see Jake for a while and I wouldn't be able to get as many kisses as I had before. My parents would be around. Jake didn't seem too interested in the movie either so we just sat together and kissed a few times.

We went to pick up the ring when it was over. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. Because Jake wanted to, I let him remove my purity ring and slide the new one onto my finger. It shone like my skin at sunset. We walked out of the shop, there was still another half hour before I'd told my parents I'd be over. I figured it wouldn't hurt to be a bit early.

"Well, maybe you could talk them into lunch. It's easier that way. You're school let out a half an hour ago anyway."

"Alright, let's go," I grumbled. "My sister won't be home yet though."

"You're allowed to pick her up early aren't you?"

"Not if I'm not her legal guardian," I said not wanting to explain the way the school system worked.

"Dial your mom and tell her that you'll be in earlier so you want to meet them at Olive Garden for lunch."

"Alright." I took my phone out of my pocket and dialed my mom's cell.

"Yes?"

"Mom? I'm getting in a bit earlier than I thought. I was wondering if you could pick Emily up early and meet Jacob and I for lunch."

"Sure. I'll go and pick her up now."

"Great. See you in a bit." I hung up the phone. "I'm really not sure how my mom is going to take my engagement."

"I'm a bit more worried about your father. He sounds more dangerous. All those stories about him and the shotgun."

"You're worried about a shotgun?" I laughed. "As long as he didn't shoot you anywhere fatal you'd be fine. You're a fast healer, remember?"

"Yes, I remember."

"What happens if my parents decide that I can't stay on the reserve any longer?"

"Your grandmother is coming in a couple of days to make sure that doesn't happen. If it does she said that she'd take you up personally. Of course she was lying but it's the easiest way to handle it."

"You've thought of everything haven't you?"

"Everything but what I'd do if you left."

"When are you going to stop being the cheesy romance novel?"

"When you make a point to stop provoking me to be one."

"Fair enough. We going yet?"

"Sure."

He let me drive this time and said that if I felt better we'd get my permit by the end of the week. We waited for my family to show up. When they did I could see Jake surprised them. Thank goodness he'd made a point to put on a shirt.

"Name's Jacob Greene. I hope you all are hungry." He said as he shook my parents' hands. He said jabbing his thumb at me and continued. "She's told me so much about you I thought I'd take her down for a week visit."

Emily looked up at him, he was quite the tall person. "You're an interesting person." She scowled at him.

"We brought you all little trinkets that I've gotten to research," I said taking Emily's hand, I pulled her forward a bit. "Table for five please." The hostess said it would be about a five to ten minute wait. I sat down with Emily on my lap and whispered in her ear, "be polite or you won't get the earrings I made for you." She was surprisingly polite the rest of the afternoon.

I kept my left hand under the table during lunch hoping to avoid any reactions till I expected them. Jake made a point to help me by hold it. After he'd paid the bill, practically fighting my dad for the right to pay, I pulled up the subject. "There was another reason that I asked if Jacob could come with us to lunch," I started telling my mom. Jake and my dad were talking about the latest baseball game. "Besides the fact that I needed a licensed driver in the passenger seat so I could drive around," I slid my left hand from Jake's and showed my mom. "I'm engaged." I bit my lower lip seeing her face go from a smile to a shocked frown.

At that same moment in time my dad stopped talking with Jacob and turned to scowl at me, "You're what now?"

"Engaged, sir." Jake said. "I know it is a bit early for her to be getting married but I promise it will be on her terms not mine."

"What are your terms young lady?" My mom asked.

"Well, to start off with, I'm not getting married tomorrow. I'm going to get my diploma first and at least my first year of college in, outside of Running Start."

"How do you expect to get your degree if you get married before then?" my mom said speaking from experience.

"You've got a reality check coming. I know what I'm doing. If you think it'll be that hard for me since I've been living with him for the last month and a half!"

"Don't talk to your mother that way." My father stated.

"You think I'm making a mistake? You barely even got to know Jacob this afternoon. Doesn't it say something if I of all people would get engaged before graduating high school or even college?"

"Well, it does but you're just a teenager," My dad said.

"You're forgetting the fact that I can take care of myself. I helped raise Emily. Now you think that I'm not mature enough to realize when I love someone? Maybe a week is too long. This meal seems too long."

"No, I'm sorry. I over reacted," My mom said. "I trust, you. He's not staying at our house."

"I understand that." I told her laying my hand over Jake's. "Well I need to get my things and then I'll meet you back at the house."

"Alright. See you there."

Jake and I stood up to leave. "Can I go with them?" Emily asked.

"Sure. Just ask their permission." My mom told her with her right hand on her head and left hand on my dad's arm.

"Sure you can come." I said taking her hand as she ran over.

"You got taller." Emily said when we got inside the jeep and got out onto the road.

"I lost quite a bit of weight too. There's a bunch of great places to hike up there. Maybe we should go and live over there. There's plenty of places to build houses, if it's alright with the tribal elders," I said.

"I think it'd be fine. Forks could use some updates too." Jake said.

"We could even live close to the beach. It's really nice up there at sunset."

"Sounds nice." Emily mumbled in the back seat. "When do I get my present?"

"They're in the bag by your feet. One of the bracelets is yours as well as a necklace and a pair of earrings."

Emily pulled out the bag and looked at the contents. "WOW! You made these?"

"Most of them. The bracelets and the carvings on the necklaces Jacob did but other than that, it was all me."

"Wow." She said again pulling out one of the necklaces and looking at a wolf carving on it. "Can you teach me? The carving I mean."

"Maybe when you're older," Jake said. "You have to use some pretty sharp tools."

I followed the road, a way that had been familiar to me only months ago toward my house. I realized that I didn't really recognize the area as I turned onto the road leading directly to our 'private drive'. When we came up the hill I could see that the new house was almost finished on the outside. "Wow. Dad got far on that, didn't he?" I asked Emily. _Jake could have it more than done by now._ I thought to myself.

"Yup. The inside is close to being done as well. We've got somebody who wants to buy it as soon as it's finished."

"That's too bad but maybe we could sell both and you guys could come live on the reservation with me."

"That sounds like fun but my friends would still be here."

"I know, but it'd be nice up there and you could make new friends. They've got a bunch of kids your age over there. There's one that even has a crush on you after seeing your picture."

"But I like Jack."

"His name happens to be Jack," I told her slyly.

"Well, maybe."

"So have you done anything to my room while I was gone?"

"Nope. Just the same. The cats sleep up there all the time though. I think they miss you."

"I bet they do," I mumbled as I parked in the driveway.

We walked up to the front door. I picked out my key and got us in. Jake handed me my one bag and kissed me on the cheek before taking the car keys from my hand and going back to his car.

"He likes you." Emily taunted.

"I know. I really like him too. I might be able to take you to Paris in a couple years. How does that sound?"

"Like a lot of fun!"

"Great. I'll take you spring break in a couple years. Sound good?"

"Yea!" she hollered as I opened the front door.

My cats, Venus and Felix ran over to me to find out who I was. I figured I smelled so much different that they might not even recognize, me but they did and were very happy to see me. I went upstairs and put my stuff away and got my room rearranged once again. This time it was easier to do since I had killer strength. Now that I thought about it, a week probably was too long. I'd gotten so used to the Western Washington air and the people over there and everything. Maybe just enough time to check on Mrs. Brown and make sure that my teachers didn't have anything extra I could do. That and I had to pick up transfer papers since I wasn't going to be here next year. Kat and I would be attending Forks High as of next fall.

Nothing eventful happened the rest of the day. I didn't speak to my parents at all and I was worried they were talking over making me stay here now that I'd broken the news to them that I was engaged. I was defiantly happy that Jake hadn't proposed to me in front of my parents or I would have been banned from leaving the house for the next seventy years.

The next day I got up and made my way to school. I told my mom that I walked because I needed the exercise since I wasn't living on the reservation for the week. I'd just ran. I did have to leave early enough to make it believable though. All that I carried with me was my laptop, a few sheets of paper, my gym clothes, and a pencil. I met up with Jacob before actually going to school, apparently he hadn't slept through the night, he'd sat outside my window until three this morning. He did drive me to school though and told me he'd be there to pick me up as soon as school was out.

The day was like any other Tuesday, first period then advisory, second period onto third, lunch, more third, and then fourth. It that surprised me that Kat and Mrs. Brown were also there that day. We ate lunch together down in her classroom, catching up on the last month and a half of everything. Turns out that Mrs. Brown found it wasn't as hard to be around the kids she taught as long as they behaved. The only time they hadn't behaved, she'd had a sub because of how sunny it was. They hadn't misbehaved since because she'd chewed them out afterward.

Kat and I finally told Mrs. Brown that we wouldn't see her unless she moved up to Forks with us. She said she'd think about it since it would be easier to teach up there. It was always cloudy over there so there wasn't a problem with sun exposure. She wouldn't have to worry about shining or missing so much school.

I told Kat that I might not be attending high school with her because it moved too slow for me, but I'd see her as often as I could. I also showed them the ring Jake had given me. I explained to Mrs. Brown that he'd imprinted on me. I explained how my parents hadn't taken it very well, not knowing all that was happening, so I wasn't going to stay for any more of the week. My grandmother was here to back up my going back so I was safe. Kat said she'd stay for another few days but would keep contact through email. I didn't mention my incident with my heartbeat starting again seeing as Edward would probably read my mind and tell Kat anyway.

When the day was over Jake was waiting for me in the school parking lot. He'd gotten the bag that I hadn't unpacked, grabbed a few extra things of mine and was ready to head back. He seemed happy when I said that I wanted to leave right then and there. I'd done what I'd originally wanted to do, make sure Mrs. Brown was getting along okay, and prove that I was still alive.

On the drive back I called my mom and left a message. She probably didn't have her cell phone on her, just like she usually didn't. "Mom, something urgent came up down at the reservation so Jake needed to get back, I'm going back with him. I hope you enjoy the gifts. I'll be home in August. Bye."


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

After returning to La Push I felt surprisingly safer. Strangely enough I wasn't really any safer than I had been while living with my parents. Things didn't make much sense. But life went on normally.

"Are you ever going to leave your room?" Leah asked me one day from outside my door.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Don't need to."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because if I stay in here nothing will ever happen and I'll be safe."

"You had another dream, didn't you?"

"Another? You've got to be kidding me. That's the only dream I've had since coming back from Seattle."

"I'm sorry. That dream is why you're not leaving your room though?"

"You'd want to feel safe too wouldn't you?"

"Do you honestly feel safer locking yourself in your room?"

"No, not really."

"Kat called two days ago. She's worried about you because you weren't ever online. You haven't even answered her emails."

"I know. I don't feel safer anywhere, really."

"Maybe you should call her and tell her you can go and visit. If you want I'll talk to Jacob and get you permission to stay the night."

"They don't sleep, I do."

"Well, one night won't kill you."

"Thanks, Leah." I opened the door and gave her a hug. Then I picked up the phone and dialed. "Hey Kat."

"Hey, you feeling okay?" It was nice that she kept her cell on now that she texted Edward _all_ the time.

"For the most part. I'm being allowed a prison break for one night if that's okay."

"Sounds great! Alice won't leave me alone. Rosalie isn't anywhere near to get me out of it either. I think she might have gone out with Emmet again. They hate acting like brother and sister around town, ya know. Strange family set up huh? Anyway I'll be over in a couple minutes."

"No need. I'll pack and be over in a few."

"Great. See ya then."

"Bye." I looked over at Leah. She had a bag in her hand. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, I wanna come too! Being the only girl here is hard enough _with you here_."

"Fine. I'm not sure how the others will take it though."

"Everyone but Kat and Alice are out hunting, they won't be back for another day or so. Edward, Emmet, Rosalie, Jasper, Carlisle and Esme won't know."

"Fine. I was just gonna run and be there in a jiffy. I guess we can drive."

"Na, I'll drive. You deserve your running. We can drive back so Jacob isn't worried though."

"Thanks." I grabbed the bag I had been packing during our short conversation and was out the door in

seconds. How great it felt to really run, feeling the rush of the wind like driving really fast down the road, instead of being kept walking at normal human pace. Human pace was the slowest thing I could imagine, besides the school day I had to endure. If I just took my classes online from now on, I could get into college two years earlier, meaning in another few months. Well, maybe that was an exaggeration but it would be faster.

When I arrived at the Cullen's house, Kat was waiting by the front door. No doubt Alice was behind her eagerness. It wasn't the greatest thing to see, or feel. Kat's disturbing conduct toward Alice seemed to be getting more and more needy. It was like she was worried that the time she spent with Kat was going to suddenly end.

"Hey! Where's Alice?" I asked coming up the front steps.

"She went to get a movie." Kat embraced me in a tight hug.

"Oh, I hope it's okay that Leah's coming over. She wanted some quality 'girl time' too."

We laughed. "Leah and Alice, looks like we've both got our hang ups." Kat said.

"Alice seems to be getting on your nerves more and more often," I said.

"She won't leave me alone! I won't tell her what's been happening between Edward and I. She's also angry that she can't read my mind to give her every little detail."

"It can't be that bad that you don't want to tell her. You're still together right? I can tell he doesn't like me hardly at all, ever since I agreed to staying with Jacob. But that doesn't mean _you_ can't be happy."

"No, we're still together but Alice wants more results. She's getting tired of seeing every different idea Edward has when he's going to talk to me. I could see how _that_ would annoy her though."

"What does it usually consist of?"

"You're prying too," she grumbled.

"Come on. It couldn't get any stranger than Jacob. I'm engaged. I can take anything you have with maturity. But, if it's good and sweet – you'll get a squeal or two out of me."

"Please stop asking."

"Fine. But when he proposes I want to be the second person to know about it."

"Second?"

"Alice will have already known."

"You kinda have a point there."

"I make it a point to have a point. So can you tell me _anything_ new? What happened the day after I left? Did Mrs. Brown tell you anything more?"

"Nothing more. She seems really worried and she doesn't go home after work. She just goes to some green belt and sits there till morning. She's isolating herself."

"You followed her?"

"Kathryn, my ability, remember?"

"Sorry. Too much going on in my head." I heard a car pull up. "That'll be Leah, doesn't sound like Alice's car."

Kat went and opened the door for Leah. "So I guess we all have to hit the sack early. Two ladies who don't sleep. Now it really _is_ a slumber party."

"One night won't kill us and the pack does enough without me anyway," Leah sighed.

"That's a bit of a relief. I was starting to get the feeling that I'd be awake with Alice for…Alice hey, what movie did you get?" Kat said.

"Nice save." I mumbled to Leah as Kat ran to grab the DVD out of Alice's hands.

"Something like an exclusive," was Alice's reply.

"What kind of exclusive?" I asked totally baffled.

"Like a Narnia exclusive." Alice handed the DVD to me.

"How'd you get it?" Leah asked.

"Storage room in a video shop. Why?"

"You stole it?" Kat almost screamed.

"Na, just bribed a few people," she thought out her answer. I could see it on her face.

"It's not even out in theaters yet." Leah squealed.

"Well, I've got connections."

"Don't we all," Kat replied half-heartedly.

"So, when are you spilling?" I asked Kat winking at her giving her the idea she needed to make up some story for later.

"You all pry way too much. After the movie's through." Obviously it was a ploy for me to help her make up some story so Alice would back off.

During the movie Alice and Leah were so intent ooing and awing at the actor who played Prince Caspian. Kat and I were busy making up some story to keep Alice satisfied. "Put a bit of truth into it or Edward will find out. You'll have to spill tiny bits."

"He'll know I want to keep it secretive though," she said.

"He might not catch it in time. So what, you've kissed I could see that much on your face. Why don't you want to share? You're the most innocent person I know. It's like you haven't even started puberty." I sighed. "You've got better self-control than I do. You obviously haven't even thought farther than kissing. I've had to think farther. Jake's almost as strong as I am."

"And why is that?" she asked referring to Jake's strength.

"Because I've been denying myself animal blood. Everyone is always on me about that. I can't stand the idea. It's disgusting."

"But you have to to live don't you?"

"Not for much longer. One month to this date and I will officially be part of the pack, whether I've changed or not. It's worse than puberty."

"Calm down. What's the worst that could happen? Hot flashes? A ton of fur?" she almost laughed but caught herself in time.

I didn't want to tell her the inevitable so I thought of the next worst thing. "How about no control over my anger? What will happen the next time I'm around you or Alice? I'd be a werewolf, mortal enemies to vampires, remember? I'm worried."

"Don't be. You've got better control over your anger than I've seen anyone."

"Is that why you won't spill about the Edward details? Did he get angry and it wasn't pretty?"

"No. Just leave it. We're talking about your problem right now."

I held my arms up defensively. "Fine, backing off. But what happens if my new found 'strength,' we'll call it, keeps me from controlling my anger?"

"You can dig out Paul's driveway?" she offered.

"Hush! He's talking." Leah's voice sounded from somewhere farther up in the room.

"Sorry," Kat and I whispered back.

"I'm serious though. Sure I could teach Paul a lesson or two but that didn't do any good the last time someone tried," I said.

"I thought that was a myth," Kat said.

"Jacob teaching him a lesson was. Leah teaching him a couple lessons. That was no joke."

"Wow, Paul seems kinda weak."

"Not when Leah's mad. I was half surprised she didn't end up killing him."

"Well then, remind me not to get on her nerves." Kat said.

"Okay, so I have one question that's not exactly prying. Why does Edward hate me so much?"

"You know, I honestly don't know. But I don't think he _hates_ you."

"Then how do you explain the way he acts when I'm around?"

"I don't know, I'm not the mind reader," Kat said defensively.

"Sorry. He hates me and I don't know why. It's killing me to know. But that out of the way for now. Please tell me something that happened between the two of you. Anything, please! At this point I don't think anything would surprise me."

"Surprise is a word I don't recognize anymore."

"So…what happened and why don't you wanna tell?"

"Stuff happened. I just don't wanna tell."

"Oh, please. I spilled. Can't be that bad, I mean you're you."

"It's my business," Kat said.

"You're the strangest teenage girl with a boyfriend I've ever met."

"Well, the movie's almost over so like ya."

"You're not getting out that easily. Leah and I promised we'd be fine not sleeping one night."

"I was afraid of that… But, give me a break. It's my first real boyfriend and I don't want to ruin it by sharing everything."

"Fine, fine. The second you feel like sharing, I'm the first one you're gonna tell right?"

"Sure." Just then the movie ended and Alice spun around staring at us, "What?"

"You talked the whole movie, what about, I wanna know!"

"It took two and a half hours to try and get her to spill and it still didn't work," I mumbled. I was fairly disappointed, too.

"Wow, strong will. No wonder Edward chose you," Alice was mumbling to herself. "Hey Leah. I know you're the only one that eats so, you want something?"

"No I'm fine. Ate plenty before I came over."

"At least you have more manners than most of them," I laughed.

"I bet Emily's glad, she wanted some company." Leah was muttering.

"You staying with her now?" Kat asked her.

"No, not yet, but I will be soon. Sam and the rest of the pack are going on some long trip around the entire territory to try and find out what's going on. Something about some unknown vampire even the Volturi don't know about."

"That's odd," Alice muttered, "How long are you staying with her?"

"Long enough so that Jacob doesn't kill me for staying with her." Leah jabbed her thumb toward me.

"He's a bit overprotective. My only weakness is being torn to pieces and set on fire," I said. "It's like having my father constantly worrying that I'm going to die of some unknown illness. It's annoying. Especially when I've done everything I can to try and show him I can take care of myself."

"You're dreams don't help him any." Leah pointed out.

"What dreams?" Kat asked.

"Just strange dreams that I can't really explain. You had to be there to understand, ya know?"

"Not really," Alice said pointedly. "By the way, does anyone know why Edward's always so tense around Kathryn?" She asked as if she could read my mind.

"Were you listening to our conversation, Alice?" Kat asked.

"No. Why was it about that?" Alice asked.

"Sort of," I answered.

"Because he's back and I don't like the tense feelings he gives off when Jasper's not here," Alice said.

"You think I like it any better? His emotions are like the one acceptation to my ability. No reason behind it. It's hard to interpret. It's like he's angry and hurt but he's never known me my whole life."

"Sorry. Maybe we should all go for a walk or something." Alice said.

"How about a jog?" Leah asked. "You guys are a bit faster on your feet than I am."

"You don't have to make acceptations for me." Leah said waving her hand in the air.

"It's no trouble. Come on," I said pulling her to her feet. We had our walk and when we came back, Edward was standing on the back porch of the house.

"What's going on?" he asked, his voice full of anger.

"They came over for a sleep over. You were gone. They were going to be gone by the time you and everyone else got back," Alice said protectively.

"That's not what I'm angry about. Did you see the inside of the house?"

"What? What happened?" I asked suddenly worried.

"Ransacked. Most items of furniture and everything else, gone." I could feel the poison in his voice. It stung worse than it should have.

"What? You think its Leah's or my fault? We were guests, not thieves." I tried to match his sting in my voice but it came nowhere close.

"I suppose that you think Alice or Kat were the last ones to leave. No one bothered to lock the doors?" It was then that I noticed that the sliding glass door was shattered.

"And you think we'd have to smash the doors to get in if it were unlocked? Did you even notice the shattered glass?" His face went hard. "Come on Leah, we're obviously not wanted here." I walked with Leah around the side of the house toward her car.

I could hear Kat and Edward behind the house. Alice must have gone inside. "You really think they would have done something like that? Why do you hate my friends so much?"

"I don't, but their thoughts point to nothing but thievery."

"Oh really? Well then, what's in their minds other than how could I even think to love someone who jumps to conclusions? I've only got another month with Kathryn before we're officially mortal enemies."

"No, it won't be like that." He sighed and kissed her.

I knew why he was saying _that_ at least. He could see my dreams and how much they were bothering me. What I didn't understand was why he was so cruel to me.

"How do you know?" I could hear her push him away from her. "You think that you can just push me away from my friends." It was quiet enough that I could have heard a pin hit the floor of a carpeted area. I could understand the almost silent tears coming from her and could almost picture how Edward would hold her till she stopped crying. I wished she'd find a way to tell me like a true friend before my last month of life was over.

"Can we agree not to tell Jacob about that?" I asked Leah as I climbed into the passenger seat of her car.

"I wouldn't even dream of it. He'd get to the point where he'd break the treaty if he knew about that." Leah replied.

"I'm not in the mood to drive if you don't mind." I told her.

"I'm afraid of what'll happen once you change. I'd hate to be on your bad side, just don't you go breaking the treaty." Leah said changing the subject.

I held up my right hand, "I swear I will do no such thing." We both laughed.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

The next week passed and I found myself in my room more and more throughout the day. Jacob was leaving with the pack tonight. I was worried beyond anything possible.

"I'll be back by the end of the week," he said as I sat staring at the television set.

"That doesn't stop me from worrying. Not even if you promised to be back by the end of the week completely unharmed."

"Then what would help?" he asked slithering his arms around my waist.

"Nothing."

"What if I let Leah stay here while I'm gone?"

"Nothing."

"Please?"

"Nothing. Unless you stayed."

"You know I can't resist any action."

I looked at him then suddenly looked back down.

"What?" he asked.

"Please? That or let me come with you. I can keep up," I pleaded. More with my eyes than my words.

"No, it's too dangerous."

"You're dealing with another vampire, how could it be that dangerous?"

"Because you're a vampire."

"How does that put me in danger?" He gave me a look that said something like 'there's something wrong with that sentence, isn't there?' So I replied, "Fine. But if you're not back by the end of the week I'm coming after you."

"I expected that…"

"So Alice is on guard along with the other people that know I'm supposed to be locked up. They'll support me though, you know it."

"I'll be back by the time you wake up Friday morning." He kissed my forehead and walked out the door leaving me to wallow in my sorrow, alone.

Part of me wanted to run back to kiss him, but I decided that I'd better take the time to work on my homework. I didn't get it done very quickly when Jake was home and so when he was gone, and no one was in the house, was the only time I got. Luckily that happened at least once or twice a week. Unfortunately, not the whole week. Catching up on two months of homework was easier done than said as a vampire. It took a whole day at the most, if I was lucky.

So I finished that night and called up Kat. "Hey, does Jake have you on watch to make sure I stay within a radius of his house?"

"Yes, and Alice at the border until dawn."

"I really don't understand why I'm such the problem. I don't need to be taken care of like a newborn kitten."

"You and I both," Kat said.

"What do you mean?"

"Ever since the sleepover mishap I'm under constant guard, too. Lucky you, you get a radius, I'm stuck in a room."

"Sorry. I didn't get you into too much trouble did I?"

"Nope. Edward's been pretty calm since you crossed the border that night."

"That's surprising."

"Yeah, and oddly enough he's got watch duty on you Thursday evening."

"WHAT?" I screamed almost dropping the phone.

"He volunteered. Said there was something important he needed to tell you before you changed."

"I'm gone that night then. I don't care what Jacob's punishment is."

"Maybe it really is important though. I don't think Edward hates you, it's just misunderstood."

"Easy for you to say, he _loves_ you." I almost shouted back.

"That doesn't make what he tells me a lie."

"What, he told you that he doesn't hate me?"

"Yes, sort of," Kat said.

"What does 'sort of' mean?"

"He said he didn't hate you, just feared for you. He said it was bad for you to be around the house because he didn't know what it'd do to your transformation."

"Oh, so he's as overprotective as everyone else? He'll have to put me in restraints before I strangle his head off!"

"Calm down, you're already starting to lose your temper."

"Sorry. You don't understand what it's like to be practically invincible but still treated as if I were a thin glass sculpture."

"No, I don't. But that's not a reason not to give someone a chance. Maybe they just need to see that you can take care of yourself. Anyway you'd better get some sleep. It's going to be a long week."

"Thanks Kat, bye."

"Bye."

Hanging up the phone in that instant must have been the hardest thing possible. I was losing everything. All I could think about was keeping a hold of my temper.

"Kathryn? Can I come in?" It was Leah.

"No," I answered bleakly.

"Come on. Being left here while everyone else is out there is no fun for me either. You only have to wait another two weeks."

"Another two weeks! Leah, I'll be dead in two weeks. You know it as well as I do."

"All the more reason not to push me into telling Jacob. Now let me in. Please."

"Fine." I got up from lounging on my bed and opened the door. "What's he paying you?"

"To what?"

"To keep me under wraps?"

"My life. Said he didn't want anyone hardly in the house while he was gone. I'm surprised he allowed the Cullen kid a night with you."

"Must have really been something important, unless Edward learned mind control." I shook my head, Jake was stronger than mind control anyway, it had to be important. "So why are you making such a big deal to come in my room?"

"Company. Sitting below your window really isn't much fun." We laughed at that.

"I did use the front door to get in though."

"Left you a key didn't he?"

"How'd you know?" Leah asked.

"He said he was going to find some way to let people in, no matter how many times I locked the doors."

"He'll be fine. They do this thing all the time when there's trouble. This is the first time they've left me behind though."

"I think it's an alpha male thing," I grumbled.

"Could be." It was hilarious how easily we connected even when I was forcing myself to be mad at everyone. "Kathryn, are you going to tell Jacob about your human days?"

"He's always gone for them so why do I need to?"

"Because he'll be back for this one."

"You can't be serious!"

"Why not? You know how badly Jacob'll be angry if you don't even kiss him that night."

"I'll stay out really late or something," I offered uncomfortably.

"Please. He's waiting for an opportunity."

"Oh please, you're beginning to be as disgusting as he is."

"Me? I'm so glad you're not a werewolf yet. It's so easy to see on your face that you fantasize about it as much as he does. I'm not going to be happy when I can see and feel it too. Just stop trying to be innocent. You're only going to be a vampire for so long, take advantage of it." Leah was starting to sound convincing.

"Why does everyone keep telling me that? What if I'm different and I take an unborn child with me when I die? You ever think of that?"

"Yes, and you don't have enough blood in your system to incubate a child! Get that through your head before your time is up."

"Fine. I'll think about it. But it'd hurt Jacob even more."

"Maybe, maybe not," Leah shrugged.

"You're terrible."

"I've been told, doesn't hurt my ego."

"Obviously." I scoffed.

The days passed slowly and each day my dread of seeing Edward for a night became worse and worse. Not to mention that day I'd be human for once. A full moon wasn't the day that I was hoping Jake would be here. I didn't even know why the full moon made me human. There was nothing in any story I'd read about the full moon affecting inhuman beings being human for the day!

It was Thursday. I dressed for bed quickly and buried myself with my covers. Freedom from anything that happened to follow me into my room was all I wanted at this point in time.

"Do you hate me that badly?" Edward asked.

"Go away. I don't want to talk to you." I emphasized each word as I finished my sentences.

"Like you could really make me tonight."

"Of all nights, why tonight?"

"Because it was easier to make you listen. And it'll be interesting to see your face freeze when your boyfriend walks in the room."

"Okay there are many things wrong with that sentence. One, Jacob is my fiancée. Two, it's very hard to surprise me after everything that's happened."

"Considering the way you've taken my emotions…I think you'll be shocked."

"Stop scoffing at me. Tell me what you came to tell me and leave."

"Fine. I don't think that's really any way to speak to a relative though. I'm not your father so, I'll let it go for now."

"Relative?" I sat up. "What could possibly give you the idea that…"

"I'm your great grandfather?"

My mouth dropped open. "Say what now? That's not possible!"

"Why not? Your father's adopted isn't he?"

"Yes, but he's full German."

"So am I. Or I was…Not sure how that one works really."

I had to laugh. "No you're not."

"And you would know that how?"

"Well, you don't have any blood in your body so I can't exactly test you. How am I supposed to know you're not lying?"

"You want my blood work from when I was human? Is that how I'm supposed to show you proof? Carlisle kept it in his medical files. I can be back with them before you could blink."

"I'm blinking now. You haven't left yet." I blinked a few times.

"Just stay where you are." I nodded as if I was really going to stay put. He was back within the minute holding a manila folder. "Here's your proof." He handed a folder to me.

I looked it over, sure enough his blood was nothing but German. "How do I know that you didn't have time to forge these?"

"The seal from when I died." I looked. Sure enough early nineteen hundreds.

"I'm still not convinced that you're related to me."

"Don't tell me you want a paternity test, too," he groaned.

"How else are you supposed to prove that we're biologically related?"

"How about birth certificates. I have those."

I groaned. "You can't be serious." _Stalker._ I thought to myself. He'd hear but I didn't really care.

"Well, you wanted to know who your family was didn't you?"

"After the events in March, it wasn't my top priority."

"Well, here they are anyway." He handed me a folded up envelope, "Yours, your father's, and your grandmother's."

I looked through the pieces of paper. All the blood work matched, the DNA, everything. It would have taken at least two years to forge them and from the looks of it, he didn't have two years of free time on his hands, even with Carlisle being able to access medical records. "But, then… Why did you wait till I had a week left to live?" I practically screamed.

"I was tracking down birth certificates. It's hard when they think that you're just some punk of the street trying to pass off as someone else." A slight smile crept across his face.

"But that doesn't answer the question WHY."

"You wanted to know who your family was when I saw you the first time. Before you died your hair, I could easily say there was quite the resemblance between the two of us."

I buried my face in my hands wanting to be alone, he did look oddly like my dad's high school photos. "You just love making it more and more painful for me to die don't you? I finally know who my family is, I'm engaged, and I've got a life I could only dream about." I sobbed. "No one likes making this easy for me!" I felt hot tears coming to my eyes as I spoke and looked outside at the full moon waiting for effects that would go further than the hot tears.

"Well, most of our family is dead. Your great grandmother has obviously passed away considering how old she'd have to be if she were alive. Your grandmother, my daughter, and her lover were murdered a week after your father, my grandson, was adopted. A robber shot them after taking the few things they owned on a school trip. Then the person that would have been your aunt died three days before your father was adopted. The doctor overdosed her, she was a very sick child. Unfortunately, I was there to see it. Broke my heart, she would have been my granddaughter."

"Don't tell me that was your fault."

"It wasn't. I was there to adopt them, they were my blood anyway, I figured I needed to take some responsibility for them. I couldn't bear to look at your father after his sister had died. Julia Ann was her name. Alice seemed to think that she'd have a great future with us, or with someone close. But I was at that time single and they didn't want a seventeen year old taking care of twin infants."

"Okay, you've told me now please leave." I pointed towards the door.

"I'm sorry." He said, I could tell he thought about trying to comfort me but thought better of it. "If you need anything, I'm actually walking home at a leisurely pace. Jacob will be back in five minutes. I suggest you tell him about your little human problem before he tries to push you too far. Leah's right about not waiting too much longer but not tonight. That defiantly wouldn't be smart."

"Just leave!" By the time that he was out my window and well away from the house I was in full-fledged tears. I _would_ have to tell Jake, and I'd have to tell him that I was going to die. I really didn't want to though. At least not tonight.

"What'd he do?" I couldn't believe how fast five minutes had gone by. "He didn't hurt you did he? I'll kill him if he did."

"No, I'm fine." I wiped away my tears as fast as I could. "After so long I finally found out who the other half of my family was and they're all dead. All but my father and great grandfather."

"He tracked them down for you?"

"Not only that, but he tracked his own family and found me."

He wasn't surprised. His fake surprise was just too fake. "Oh really? Wow. So I guess you were kinda doomed to become a vampire from the start then." He was joking but he quickly found out I wasn't in the mood to joke and held me against his chest, for the first time I actually felt how warm he really was. I'd break a sweat easily tonight if he decided to sleep with me. "That's a nice pendant, where'd you get it?"

I looked down at my chest. There was a small strand of ribbon, red of course, with a small crystal heart at the end. "Edward must have given it to me." I handled it delicately. _Like the heart on Bella's charm bracelet. Interesting touch._ I thought hoping Edward would hear it.

"At least you haven't started calling him 'Grandpa Edward'," he sighed. He leaned down to kiss me. It was so tender that it was like he already knew my secret.

"Jake, I need to tell you something," I said. It was in such a small voice, I thought I might have to repeat myself.

"What?" he mumbled kissing me lightly again.

"It's a full moon and… well… I don't know how to say it…"

"Say what? You've read too many werewolf stories. The full moon thing isn't even partially true."

"I know. But it's not that…the full moon makes me human for the day."

"Like that's any excuse to get out of anything. You really expect me to believe you?"

"My body temperature is up isn't it? That's the only proof I can offer besides a heartbeat."

He laughed. I put two of his fingers up to my throat. "You're serious. Holy crap!"

"You believe me now?" I asked sarcastically.

"Yes, but what does that have anything to do with anything right now?"

"I'm susceptible. Weak, and I can't control my own body."

"That doesn't make you human."

"Yes it does." I laughed. "But even more, it definitely makes me a female with hormones. You're sleeping in your own room tonight."

"You're terrible. Fine." Jake stood and left the room. I felt alone in that moment but it really was for my own health that he wasn't with me the day I was human. It was bad enough that _I was_ human, but the fact that he was there just made it that much worse. I had another week. It wasn't like it was my last day with him.

A few moments after I'd fallen asleep I awoke to a horrible headache. It was the kind where you held your head until it went away. It got proceeding worse until I realized that my brain was overheating. By the time I realized it I was screaming in pain. If my brain got to the point where it was over 105.1 I'd be gone for sure. Jake was up and in my room trying to see if there was anything he could do. Of course I could be the only one to notice a tiny fact like he put a shirt on before coming into the room, and at a time like this. "Just don't touch me, any added heat could make it worse!" I managed between shrieks of pain.

"Is there anyone I could call to…" my cell phone rang and Jake answered. "She's screaming in pain. Of course she's being affected!" … "What do you mean, hang on? Her brain is overheating…yes I've seen it before." There was a long pause. "Just this once, but never again!"

I figured Edward was asking for permission to come within the boundaries of the reservation with Carlisle at least, possibly Kat as well.

"Just get over here as fast as you can."

Through my tears of pain and convulsions I could tell Jake was worried beyond his wits that I wasn't going to survive the hour.

"I don't carry ice in the house I heal too fast to need it," was the last thing I heard before I blacked out. My guess was that my brain had overheated where my body tried to counteract it by making me go into hypothermia.

It must have been hours before I woke up. It was bright outside by the time I looked out over the many faces surrounding my bedside. I heard some kind of slapping noise and then a hushed voice saying, "I still wouldn't touch her if I were you."

"Kathryn? You feeling okay?" It was Alice.

"Huh? What happened?"

"Somehow Jane figured out how to do real damage to the brain, but it only works on humans. Somehow Aro found out that you were human the day before and the night of a full moon. We were afraid you really wouldn't wake up after your brain reached a temperature of 115. You're amazing to still be alive."

I noticed a figure standing in the corner the only one in shadow. "How's Edward taking it?" I asked realizing the dark figure was him. He felt so terrible it almost caused me to become sick.

"He'll pull through. He just blames himself for not knowing that Jane and Aro still held a grudge against you. He'll get over it eventually," Kat said. "Shocked me to find out the reason he was so worried about you."

"I'd rather not talk about it," I mumbled.

"Well, it's practically 7:00 am, sleep as much as you can, midnight tonight you'll be fit as possible whether your body has fully recovered or not." Carlisle spoke this time. "And Jacob, the least physical contact with her the better before midnight. Her brain temperature is still a bit high and any added…"

"I know. No touching my fiancée. Got it. Now if you'll all be so kind as to leave my home." He motioned towards the door suggesting that if they didn't leave he'd make them.

"Jake, be nice. If it weren't for them I could very well be dead right now." I whispered. "You heard Carlisle. I'll be fine by midnight no matter how much my body has recovered."

For the first time ever I heard scuffling as the small group of vampires left the room. "Their smell is getting easier and easier to stand, I'm weakening my senses." Jake said sitting by my pillow.

"No you're not. You're just used to them. You still cringe every time any other vampire is around."

"How would you know?"

"You cringed before the phone rang when Jane and Aro were outside the house."

"I hadn't even noticed." He leaned toward me as if he were going to kiss me and then pulled back. "I hate rules."

"You'll get over them in a few hours. I'm tired anyway."

"You hungry or anything?" he asked.

"Normally I'd give you a strange look for asking that question, but given the circumstances…"

"Just answer the question."

"No, I'm not. You should get some sleep yourself, you've got a bit of an edge to you."

"I'm tired, hungry and suffering lack of contact."

I laughed. "All yours after midnight. Promise." This time he kissed me, I probably shouldn't have kissed him back… But it turned into a very passionate scene, it wouldn't have been that passionate if I hadn't gotten carried away. He pulled back before I had time to say anything.

"I'm sorry. You should get some sleep. I just wasted an hour of it."

I groaned like a child who couldn't have something their parent wouldn't buy them. _Those darn human hormones! I'm terrified to find out what'll happen if I do survive through my transformation._ I thought to myself_._

As much as I didn't want to, I slept through the night and awoke to a very antsy Jacob. "I'm sorry, it's midnight. I wanted to be able to kiss you before I left."

"You're leaving again?!" I almost slapped him.

"It's an emergency. Kat called saying that Jane and Aro were back and near the border. They needed a barricade to run into if they couldn't take care of them."

"Then let Leah in on some action. Please." I pleaded.

"You know better than anyone that I can't resist anything like this. It's a chance that I get to do my job."

"Then I'm coming with you." I stood.

"No, absolutely not. I'm not going to give in as easily as Edward did in the book during that strange battle."

"If I leave, you won't be able to stop me," I said.

"What do you want from me?"

"One night were you neglect what they tell you – to be with me." He looked like he was going to say something like 'are you kidding me' so I countered, "ONE night."

"One night? Then I'm off the hook."

"Until we're married then you'll be in for it if you don't listen to my wishes."

"I think I can live with that. You did promise me you tonight didn't you?"

"Let's not get carried away," I told him as he reached for my shirtsleeve.

"You got no adventure in you, do ya? I'm tempted just to take you with us if you're going to be like that."

"Wouldn't bother me."

"That's the problem. There's no way I could convince you differently?"

I thought about the different options. It seemed he was single minded or no minded. I was almost willing to take the single minded Jake over the no minded Jake. "It depends on the argument. One of them is a definite no. Everyone thinks I should take advantage of my situation and that's honestly not going to happen. The other one is hard to get around since you think it would be that bad for me to be there."

"How about this? You stay here, I get to do my job and tear apart a couple of vampires, and we get married in three weeks." Jake said.

"What's my other option?"

"I stay here but I don't have to wait till the honeymoon."

"Fine, have fun." I waved my hand.

"You're almost too easy to convince." He put his hand on my cheek, lifted my face so that he didn't have to lean over and kissed me, it was so rough that I was tempted to take his other offer, then he released me and was gone. I'm not sure I was ever going to get used to people moving so quickly in front of me.

"I have my morals," I whispered into the empty room.

I woke up on the beach, the tide was starting to come in and the sun was just starting to rise. I had no idea how I'd gotten from my bedroom to this spot.

"Do your morals include not leaving the house in your pajamas to watch a sunrise?" Jake asked.

"They didn't," I said scooting over toward Jake. He put his arm around me. "How'd you know?"

"It would be so nice to sit here every morning and watch the sun rise to a new day."

"What are you trying to cover up?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" he asked looking almost innocent enough not to be hiding everything.

"What happened last night that you don't want to tell me?"

"Oh, you figured that out did you?"

"You think _I_ wouldn't?"

"Carlisle said you're pregnant."

"WHAT?"

"Kidding." He gave a short laugh and I elbowed him.

"Don't joke like that around me."

"Sorry. Okay so what really happened: Jane almost killed Leah, injured Paul pretty bad, and Aro managed to get Sam into pretty bad shape. All in all, everyone besides the Cullens were injured. I don't think it was a coincidence."

"Oh, please. Don't tell me that you think that they planned it all. If they had, Kat wouldn't have called to say there was trouble. Did they even make it there before Jane and Aro crossed the border?"

"No. Kat said they were pretty close though. We would have arrived at the same time, but they didn't until Paul's arm and leg were broken."

"And what? You had medical vampire there that knows breaks. Paul will jump right back and Sam will too. Leah might take a bit longer if she's as bad as you feel, but they'll all get better by the end of the week."

"By the time Jane and Aro were back over the border they'd practically reached our house again. Embry and Quil are on the trail still."

"That's why were on the beach?"

"Yes."

"You won't be able to protect me forever. Jake, I love you, but I want to be treated like a person, not some damsel in distress."

"Why didn't you just tell me?"

"I **have** _at least_ four times."

"I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"Jake, I'm a vampire what could possibly hurt me that I couldn't fight off as well as you could?"

"I know, it's just when you're asleep, that's the only time I spend with you…and you're vulnerable then… It's hard to get over that feeling."

"I get it, but maybe you should make more of an attempt to spend waking hours with me. You're always on patrol or doing something. I miss being with you. What's bothering you to the point where you don't spend time with me?"

"Pre-marital jitters."

"You'd better have a better excuse."

"Huge pre-marital jitters."

"That's seriously the reason?"

"You don't have to go through strange hormonal cravings because your body is basically dead. Mine's not."

"You could try telling me so I didn't think that you were avoiding me."

"I'm sorry. Does this make up for anything?" He embraced me in another of his crushing kisses that made me wish I'd taken up his other offer the night before.

"Maybe a little," I said, biting my lower lip when he finally released me. I was willing to let him do just about anything if it kept him with me.

"One more week," he said suddenly.

"What?"

"One more week until we start making the real wedding stuff."

"Stuff? How about two pairs of jeans and a couple of t-shirts with a small crowd?"

"You definitely are a strange one. I thought you'd be all in for at least a traditional…" he gave me a strange look and stood up. "I'll be back in no more than an hour."

With that he left. I wanted to shake in anger because he hadn't explained anything to me and had left me on the beach, but I was more worried. I figured I'd go see how Emily and Sam were faring. The last time I saw her she'd just found out she was pregnant with their first baby. She'd been thrilled.

On my way over I saw Leah through her room window, she was pretty banged up. I couldn't help but feel that it was my fault. Of course it was! I was the reason that Jane and Aro were looking around the reservation. I was the reason that most of the pack was wounded.

When I got to Emily's door I hesitated before knocking, but knocked anyway. The whole incident when Emily had accidentally gotten too close to Sam while he was angry… Her face never ceased to worry me about what I'd turn into but I never voiced how I felt. The scar was a constant reminder that even the protectors of human life could become monsters under certain conditions. Emily opened the door so swiftly after I'd knocked that it was like she was expecting me, "He's faring fine. Said he'd be fine for a quick patrol this morning. Come in, come in."

"Thanks, Emily. How's the baby?"

"Doing great. Getting pretty big though. I hope it's a girl, all these boys around here are just so big."

"Well, for your sake I hope so too."

"Is something worrying you?"

"Just the way Jake's been acting lately. He seems to think I'll never understand how he's feeling when I can sense his emotions, feel them, and know the exact reason for them."

"He'll learn. Sam's worried that Jake'll be heartbroken when the week is up. Sam told me about it last night."

"Please don't tell him."

"I wouldn't dare break his heart before absolutely necessary."

"Thanks, Emily." I breathed a sigh. "I'm so worried. I want him to remember me but I don't want him to wallow so badly that he kills himself. He needs me less than he thinks."

"Kathryn, you need him as much as he needs you. You haven't even gone through the transformation so you haven't imprinted on him but it looks so much like you have. Do you honestly think you're different enough that you'll take an unborn child with you when you die? Hunny, I don't think that you'd have to worry about that. If you did end up being pregnant I don't think any force would be able to drag you into death if you had another being counting on you."

"But I keep having dreams that I'll live through it and dreams that I won't. Besides, that I have morals that I'd like to be able to live by, or die by."

"That's what I said, too. Even I gave in a week before I married Sam."

"Emily! I'm shocked."

"Are you really? Even if I wanted to resist, do you think I could have? I'll tell you one thing, I didn't want to resist. You don't have raging hormones to keep you from making that decision. You live through your change and I promise you, you won't be able to resist for long. If you really want to live by those morals, you better schedule that wedding for two weeks."

"You're probably right. I'm finding it harder and harder to keep my morals intact. Thanks for the words of advice. I'd better get home and call Alice to have her hurry up the planning."

I didn't waste any time. I told Alice that if she knew anything about me living through my transformation she was in huge trouble if she didn't tell me. She knew nothing but promised that she could have the wedding planned out and ready for two weeks. If I died, it'd just turn into a memorial service. Her words were almost comforting at that. By the time I hung up the phone Jake was back.

"I promised under an hour."

"Hour forty-five."

"I know, sorry." He grabbed me around the waist, "I'd say dinner and a movie but, it'd more just be watching me stuff my face followed by making-out."

"The movie part sounds kinda nice, but I'm tired of movies."

"Why'd you reschedule again?" Jake asked.

"Words of advice from Emily."

"She talked to you about your morals, didn't she?"

"Yes," I answered sheepishly.

He kissed me tenderly as if daring me to ask for more. "I'm not sure whether I'm thrilled that you think I'm so irresistible or surprised that you think you can't control yourself for longer than a week."

"I'm still trying to figure out if I'll be able to wait _that_ long. It has nothing to do with my biological clock."

"That I've already figured out," he kissed me again with more intensity. "If you ask, I'll wait."

"If I have to ask I won't _want_ to wait. You have no idea of what goes on inside a female mind, do you?"

"No insight whatsoever." He laughed and kissed me again. It was softer as if he was making a point that he could restrain himself. "See, you've learned self-control."

"What gives you that idea?"

"You're not trying for more and I'm not backed up against a wall." He laughed, "Not that I don't love that."

"Be mature." But I had to laugh too.

"That night alone really is getting to you, isn't it?"

"To be honest, I wish I'd taken you up on your other offer last night."

"See, even more self control. You wanted but you resisted."

"So hard I almost had horrifying body convulsions."

"That I know, too. I didn't meet them over at the border right away, I stayed until you were asleep."

"That's how you knew about my morals."

"It wasn't too hard to realize anyway."

"You take great joy in this?"

"In what?"

"Knowing that I couldn't leave if I wanted too?"

"Well, now that you mention it, it makes keeping you here easier."

"If it were anyone else, I'd have killed them by now."

"That's a huge reason for why you're staying with me." He was still cradling me around the waist. I realized he was wearing a shirt again.

"My hormones aren't that bad," I tapped his shirtsleeve.

"Do you _want_ me to remove it?" he asked.

"Wouldn't mind it." I confessed, blushing.

He released his grip on my waist long enough to remove his shirt and replaced his arms around my waist again. "Feel better?"

I felt like a fan girl wanting to melt in his arms. At his heat I very well could have, but I didn't. I just nodded to his question before he kissed me again and again until the room started spinning. Before I knew what was going on I realized we were in my room, fully dressed besides Jake's missing shirt. Jake was once again gone before I could get my wits about me. I felt like growling and stomping out of the reservation. He always seemed to disappear when he finally got what he wanted. He was gone for most of the week. I was tempted to track him down and tell him he didn't have to wait for a honeymoon, but thought better of it.

By the time he got back it was four days before the day. He seemed to be avoiding me as much as he could when I finally asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You didn't even give me an explanation of why you left this time. Don't tell me nothing's wrong."

"I'm not allowed to go off and have some time to myself? Calm down."

"Not when you leave for almost a week. What would happen if I'd changed while you were gone? What would happen if I did die because of my transformation _because_ you were gone?"

"You didn't calm down."

"What has gotten into you lately? Jake, if you love me, you'll tell me what's going on."

"I took some time alone to leave you with your dignity. You happy?"

"I'd rather we talked it out then you leaving me worrying that you'd be gone forever."

"Do you believe that I really could talk it out?" Jake asked.

"I would if you'd tell me once in a while."

"Would it make you feel better if I showed you were I went?"

"Maybe."

"Fine, just keep up."

"Please, you think I need to be told that?"

"Have some humor."

"I'm still shaken from being left alone for almost a week. Sorry," I said sarcastically.

"You supposed to be on your period or something? You're really moody."

"Sorry. I haven't had any chocolate in a while and it's not going to do me much good until my body can process it. Lack of serotonin in my body."

"The second your body can – I'm getting you twenty bars of chocolate," He said as we started to the place that he seemed eager to show me.

It was breathtaking, a small clearing that dropped off into a canyon. It wasn't too deep but carried a river that sounded so nice. "It's beautiful."

"It's where I come to think out whatever problem I have."

"I hope I'm not intruding when I ask, but is it possible…"

"Have the wedding here? That's why I showed you the spot."

"Really?"

"Yes." It was my turn to embrace him in a hug.

"This is the most wonderful thing I could have imagined."

"I'm glad you think so." He kissed me, took my hand and walked me to the edge of the cliff. "Two days before the wedding we're supposed to get some heavy rainfall. The river will be high enough that we'll be able to dip our feet in it."

"Really?"

"Stop asking that question. When I'm here I don't lie about anything."

"Rea…I should bring you here more often."

"Don't push your luck." He kissed me again and lifted me up so that my hair dangled in front of my face.

"Put me down."

"You're right, it doesn't feel right to have you taller than me." We laughed at his excuse to put me down.

That night we went to bed early, I told Jake that everyone was right. I wasn't going to wait while I still had the comfort of being a vampire. He was hesitant but thrilled.

He fell asleep easily that night but I wasn't tired for the first time in my vampire life. So I snuck out to watch the sunrise again the next morning.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

I stood by the waves washing against the shore. Sunrise was one of the most brilliant times of day to be on the beach. Three months had passed since my transformation into a vampire and my kidnapping onto the Indian Reservation where I'd met the love of my life.

Kat and my grandmother were the only ones who knew my whole story. Why I was staying with my grandfather's old friends' son and how my destiny caught me in a tangle of possible death. It had really started to annoy me. The fact that I couldn't tell anyone or talk to anyone about it, how else was I supposed to get over what was going on? Sure I had Jake, but that was only going to last so long, unfortunately. Leah, Sam and I were the only ones who knew of my fate come three days. I couldn't even ask my best friend in a myspace conversation to help me get over the whole "I'm gonna die" thing. Life was really starting to nip me in the behind.

When Leah came up behind me, I was expecting it. Not only had I gotten used to no one mentioning they were behind me, but gotten used to the fact that I could get a jump now and then out of someone else, too. "You okay? You look upset," she told me.

"Is it that obvious?" I asked. " Well, to be honest I'm very upset. Sure I've had a great three months of my life but I've got three days left until my death! How would you feel?"

"You took my advice didn't you?" She stated plainly then suddenly looked worried, "How's Jacob taking it?"

"Still haven't told him. Not going to, especially after last night. He's too worried that I wake up every night with the same dream. I can't even tell him the whole dream or its good-bye freedom."

"Don't do that to him! He loves you more than anything. If you don't tell him he's going to be twice as devastated."

"You're still recovering from when Jane and Aro attack! Look at yourself! That's all _my_ fault. You'll all be better off when I'm gone." I sighed. "If I told him, then he'd try his best to keep it from happening and only make things worse. There isn't anything he can do. There isn't anything anyone could do. I was doomed from the day the Volturi came to my door."

"Well how are we supposed to do anything else? You told him about your real eating habits, that didn't drive him away. I seriously can't think of anything else to push him away. Although that thing where his touch used to burn could work to your advantage. But you haven't had it happen for a while, so that probably wouldn't work either." Leah kept her voice at a whisper. "What else could we try?"

"Just leaving is one option, though I hate it terribly." I couldn't stand to leave him. It was like I'd imprinted on him, only I wasn't a werewolf, yet. "Say we're going on a camping trip or something? And then you say something like I got mauled by a bear."

"No good, you'd live through that. Your skin is as hard as granite. He'd never believe it. The bear would be the one more likely to get mauled."

"He might if I fake a dream tonight."

"What do you mean?"

"If I fake a dream that my vampire side was just going to disappear in time for me to change, then it would make the perfect excuse. He hasn't doubted one of my dreams since I told him about the one where the Volturi came back looking for me and they'd run into the Cullens."

"Well, it could work. But I think you should just tell him. How else are you going to help him get over it?"

"Details, details," I waved my hand. "I just can't stand to see his face. Besides I've had so many dreams that I'm going to die, then live that I don't know what will happen. We could still try the camping bit though." I rubbed my head. Thinking of this kind of stuff was harder than planning a wedding I didn't think I'd ever attend.

"Well, I guess we could leave tonight after dinner."

"Sounds good to me," I sighed.

"See you sometime around eleven then." She hurried off. The sun was starting to set and I looked down at my arm. I wasn't usually one to shimmer in the sunlight, that was nice. It meant I could wear what I wanted and not have to worry about the weather. But sunset and sunrise were another matter entirely. The dawn and dusk glow made me sparkle. The beautiful hues in the sky seemed to reflect on my skin like I were just a mirror. It was moments like these that I'd miss the most.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

As I walked back home I couldn't help but worry about what I was about to do. It would be one of the hardest things I would ever do.

"I'm going camping with Leah for a few days," I called down to Jake as I started packing a suitcase.

"Leaving me?"

"Getting rid of the jitters and one of my worse days," I said kissing him as he came into the room. "Like your thinking spot."

"Alright. Have fun then." He kissed me back and walked back downstairs.

By the time he was finished with his dinner Leah was outside waiting for me. Jake walked over before I had time to open the front door and held me in one of the largest embraces he'd ever put me in before. The love behind his kiss was so hard to settle with till the end of my life. "Come back in one piece," he said.

"I promise." I chocked out kissing him again with as much love I could muster. If it were going to be my last, I'd make it memorable. When I pushed away he almost didn't let go. "Three days, that's all," I promised walking out the front door towards Leah's car.

"You're driving tonight."

"Fine." I said throwing my bag into the back of her car.

"Called ahead to Alice, she's got a tent and everything set up in that little clearing you love so much. We'll be getting a thunderstorm tomorrow. She put it out of the way enough so that you all could play baseball."

"Thanks Leah. You really didn't have to do anything like that you know."

"Yes, I know, but I figured you'd like one last pleasure in life if you didn't get Jacob. I still don't know why you didn't take mine, Emily's or Edward's advice."

"I did... As much as I hate to say it, you were right."

"Well alright then."

"You sound half disappointed. Now back out of my personal life!"

"Got it, got it." Leah said holding up her hands, "Slow down a bit though, you'll never see anything in the road driving this fast."

"Sorry." I slowed the car to just under eighty. "I'm not going any slower."

"You're going seventy-eight."

"I know, but this is one thing that I'm going to miss."

"Fast cars?" she asked.

"Yes." I hung my head slightly.

We got to the gravel road leading to the Cullens' house and I parked in the driveway. "We're walking from here, right?"

"Yep." She looked up at the house. "I think they'll all be waiting for you."

"That's fine. I'm sure Edward's told them all by now."

"Alice has told them all by now," Leah corrected me.

"Well fine." We walked into the clearing just a few miles away from the Cullen house. Leah was right. They were all waiting for us. No one had anything but a sad face on. And the faces didn't leave my memory until after they were long gone. They didn't have the thunderstorm the next day so there was no baseball but the following morning there was a nice thundershower and they of course let me in on the game though no one looked at all happy. Thunderstorms were the only way to hide the racket that the ball made when any of us hit it. A bit too hard we might say.

The game ended before the rain did and I just sat in my tent alongside Leah. It was so gloomy outside and inside that I could barely tell the difference.

In a few hours I would undergo the painful change from a vampire to a werewolf. Suffering my fate set aside for me so many years ago.

Leah left an hour after the rain saying she'd rather not be around to watch me suffer, as long as it was okay with me. I said it was fine but felt terribly alone after she'd gone. When my phone rang I let it go to the voicemail. Then checked the message. It was from my grandma. "Honey, I'm sorry I'm not there yet. I found something to help you, but I'm afraid I might not get there in time. Tell me where you're at and I'll be there as soon as I can."

The message ended and I dialed up Edward. Fighting back my tears as I told him that my grandmother thought that she had an antidote for me and that he was to meet her when she got to Forks in two or three hours. He'd recognize her easily.

By the time I hung up my phone and set it aside the convolutions had started. I thought about praying that I'd live through the transformation but I figured I deserved what was coming to me one way or another. Karma. I wasn't going to make anyone else suffer any longer because of what and who I was. I did pray that Jacob would get through it though. I wanted him to be happy even if I wasn't there, maybe he could learn to love Leah.

I went through what I already knew about a werewolf's transformation. They could hear the thoughts of other werewolves while they were in wolf form as long as the others were in wolf form. They almost couldn't disobey the pack leader once accepted in…that wasn't going to apply to me thankfully. Then something about it being painful and thinking that you're going insane.

The voices started up in my head first. I could tell that Leah had broken her promise and was telling Jake everything she could as fast as she could. I was hurt that she was doing that but I was also half glad, by the time Jake got here I'd be gone anyway. Then I blacked out. I could tell that my mind was still ongoing in the transformation but the rest of me was fading so fast that my mind started going with it. All I could make out was that Jake thought he'd make it in time and that Edward was getting my grandmother to me as fast as he possibly could. _Wait, why could I tell what Edward was doing? He wasn't a werewolf, he was a vampire._ I closed my eyes hoping that the pain would overtake me soon.

When I woke up I was outside the tent with my grandma bent over me mumbling something like 'it worked, I can't believe it. She's the prophecy' then I blacked out again. My mind wandered through the spirit world, seeing tiny shining animals hiding in the depths of different forests. I woke up again, in the tent and covered in blankets. My grandmother was humming in the corner.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

"Gramma?" I asked.

"Yes dear?" she said.

"What happened?"

"You lived through your transformation, dear. But you keep fading between a wolf and yourself. There's barely room enough for the both of us in here when you do."

"Really?"

"Yes. By the way, Jacob and Edward are waiting outside for you. They've been worried sick for the last few hours. Oh, and congratulations on your engagement. Sorry I haven't gotten you a present."

"The wedding isn't for another week."

"A week? Darling, that's a bit fast isn't it?"

"One, you're saying that you're sorry you haven't gotten me a present. And two, for a werewolf, if you find the one, it's hard to leave them alone."

"I understand. I thought it might have been a bit sooner though, with your family history. Go and say hi to the boys. You'll want to get dressed first though."

I grabbed one of the bags of clothing I'd packed and pulled out sweats and a t-shirt and put them both on. I also tied my hair back into a ponytail. "I'd ask if I look okay but that's probably a no."

"For someone who's gone through what you just did, I'd find it hard to look any nicer." My grandma said giving me a swift kiss on the cheek and then stepping out of the tent.

I followed her after a quick search for a mirror. Unable to find one I gave up and wrinkled the shirt a bit to make it look like I'd been wearing it for a while.

"Hey beautiful," was the first thing out of his mouth. He lifted me up in the air. "I wouldn't have been so worried if you'd told me you were going to live."

"I'm sorry," I managed before I was kissed multiple times. I could almost sense the awkwardness for Edward but it was clouded. Probably because I was only half vampire now that I'd officially 'transformed' into a werewolf. By the time I finally caught my breath enough to push myself away Edward's presence was completely gone. "To be honest, I didn't even know that I was going to live." The weakness in my voice caught me off guard.

"Don't worry, I was worn out after I changed, too," he said holding me again. "So, I guess this means the wedding is still on?"

I froze, I hadn't even thought about that subject. All I could make out was, "when was it cancelled?"

"Let's get you back home before Alice is here overwhelming us with her plans."

"That's probably a safe bet." I reached up for another kiss.

"To be honest it's almost strange…" we started walking toward the border at a fairly slow pace, even for a werewolf.

"What? Being a normal temperature for a change?"

"I guess you could say that," he said. I looked around for the first time after leaving the tent, the tent was gone and all that remained was my duffle bag. "You were a bit too distracted to see Edward take down the tent." He told me grabbing my bag.

"I guess I won't get any more midnight runs without you knowing now will I?" I asked trying to lighten the tension.

"You're trying too hard."

"My ability isn't Jasper's," I shot back hotly. "I can't change your mood just by thinking it!" It seems my mood swings were back.

"Now you're starting to sound like a young woman." He slid his arm around my waist. "You've grown almost a foot. Talk about a growth spurt."

"Well, it was stunted while I was 'dead'." I hadn't realized it, but instead of barely coming up below his shoulder I now stood barely four inches below his head. "Let's see my sister try to be taller than me now." I mumbled more to myself than to anyone else.

"I hadn't realized how much that bothered you."

"What?"

"Being short."

"You're not helping." I sighed. "More the idea that my younger sister would be taller than me."

"I thought you'd be a bit less sensitive about it."

"You didn't think it was a sensitive spot? How'd you miss it? Even wearing heals, I barely came up to your shoulder! How'd you miss that bothering me?"

"Here comes the temper. We'll have to work on holding that in." He paused, "I'm sorry I never paid attention to that," He pulled me into his side. "You want that chocolate now?" He held out a chocolate bar. I nodded and took it from him.

By that time we were back across the border and close enough to his house that we could see inside the windows I saw Alice waiting. "Great. Just when I thought Alice would leave me alone…"

"Temper." Jake warned me again. I realized for the first time that I was shaking. I wasn't cold.

"I'll have to learn to meditate. You can't be feeling that it's okay that she's here waiting, can you?"

"Actually, I called her. I told her I could probably calm you down enough before we got home so it was better for her to be there, rather than in the meadow."

"Both of you are terrible."

"Kathryn."

I sighed, "Fine. I'll put on my happy face." I forced a smile as if to make my point.

"She's just here to keep everything in order. If she makes things too big, I'll take care of that."

"She'd better not be waiting with a dress."

We walked in through the back door. She wouldn't be expecting it and we'd get a good look at anything she'd brought. Much to both our dislikes, she's brought scrapbooks of dresses that looked too elaborate to get done in a week. I looked at Jacob before looking at Alice and as if I could hear his thoughts without being a giant wolf he said, _It'll be okay_.

"Please just hear me out." Alice said, she must have seen the worry on my face. "They're only ideas, no more than that I promise." She held up her right hand as she said all of this.

"Alright. What all do you have?" I asked sitting myself on the couch in front of the many binders and books she had.

"Do you have a preference as to where to start? Dress, cake, guest list?"

"Surprise us." Jake said. I hadn't notice him sit next to me and it almost startled me.

She started out with the cake. Two of them weren't so bad. The other four were like, 'um you've got to be kidding.' she said she'd change things around and then said she'd have the perfect cake ready for our approval by tomorrow.

She moved on to the dreaded books of wedding dresses. None of them caught my eye, some of them even made me cringe. Alice wouldn't be talked into just letting me wear a nice skirt and a nice shirt although Jake got off with his usual sweats plus a shirt.

The guest list was the only thing that we agreed on. She'd done exactly what I'd asked for, small. A few of my friends were coming, the pack minus Paul was coming and all the Cullens.

"Alright so let me get one thing strait. Why can't I go casual when my fiancée gets to?" I asked Alice. Jake had gotten another emergency call from Sam and had left immediately.

"Because that's all he owns and the bride is supposed to be the best looking person at the wedding."

"Then make everyone else wears sweats. It's summer Alice. My body temperature does fluctuate now. It's going to be too hot for a wedding dress. The farthest I'm willing to go is a short dress."

"No straps. Above the knee or below?"

"To the knee," I told her. "And before you ask, no white."

"Alright. No white, no straps, knee length. That's not a bunch to work with. I have no idea what color you'd want."

"For the most part, I don't care. And flowers are pretty much a no."

"Right, your allergies are back. Fake flowers then, please."

"Actually, I'm fine with roses." Being honest with myself, I wanted roses.

"What colors?"

"Anything red, bright blue or purple."

"GREAT!" Alice was truly excited. "I'll work on ideas for your dress tonight and I'll have everything ready for approval tomorrow."

"Nothing too elaborate or you'll have another day of rearranging ideas."

"Why does everyone like being so minimal?"

"Because you're just too elaborate. You really ought to be a wedding planner."

"Not my thing."

"Really?" I asked raising one eyebrow like my grandpa used to and motioning to the many books she had.

"Okay. So I like planning for large events."

"Then be an event planner."

"I'll think about it. I've just got to get through high school."

"As a senior that shouldn't be too hard." I laughed. "You just need to go through college to get a degree in business or something."

"Alright so it's easier than I'd planned on."

"You'll have fun, don't worry. Just don't go overboard on anything."

"I promise I won't."

I hugged her and she picked up her many books to leave. After she was gone I spent most of the day bored with nothing to do. It was officially summer now, school was officially out for Beamer and I had nothing to keep me occupied. But I noticed for the first time I was actually hungry. So I walked into the kitchen and fixed myself a few dozen omelets. I hadn't figured that my appetite would be that bad. Then I sat on the couch and watched a few mindless cartoons waiting for Jake to get home. I think I stayed up half the night before I finally dozed off and was woken by Alice shaking my shoulder, another two books were in her other arm. I slowly sat up and almost literally shook off the sleepiness. "Let's see the damage." I spoke sleepily.

When she laid the first book in my lap I was surprised to see that it wasn't more options but the start of a scrapbook. "I probably shouldn't have but you two needed some motivation to get a picture or two together. Especially now when you two don't look like marshmallow and chocolate together."

"I was that bad?"

"No, he just looked that brown next to you. You never went paler, you already were as white as possible. I'd seen pictures, Edward had gotten quite good with a camera by then."

"Why does everyone like keeping secrets from me? Why not just outright truth from the second I met you guys?"

Alice looked at me something like 'you don't know the answer' and then picked up a bag I hadn't noticed.

"Too dangerous?" I asked sarcastically.

She handed me the bag, which I now recognized as a camera bag. "You want me to be your personal photographer for the next few days or Edward?"

"You've got to be kidding me. I don't want a camera following me everywhere."

"Not everywhere." I looked at her pointedly, "When you leave the house to be more specific. And it would only be shots that looked like something that was being 'posed' for a wedding photographer." I gave her another pointed look, "You said you wanted it to be simple so I bought the camera minus the photographer."

"You'll never cease to amaze me. I don't care who does the pictures but just promise me it won't be everywhere out of the house."

"Hey, Kathryn. You took down the border. We want to see you as often as everyone else here does."

"Took down the border?" I looked at her puzzled.

"He hasn't told you?"

"Alice, I need to know two things. One, which 'he'? Jacob or Edward? And two, explain this taking down the border!"

"Because you're half and half the border was separated because of you. Well for our family anyway, other vampires still aren't allowed in unless given permission."

"I did that?" she nodded, "So I gave you permission to follow me around with a camera without my consent then."

"Yup. I promise no invading privacy. Just don't do anything that bad while you're outside the house. Wouldn't be the most promising of things for a relationship."

"Now you're an expert on werewolves now?" I snapped and then caught myself, "Alice, I'm sorry. What else did you have?" I asked truly excited for once.

She handed me the other book she had, it contained the simplest of wedding cakes I'd ever seen but it was definitely wild enough to fit not only my personality but Jacob's as well. "Do you like it or is it too much?"

"Honestly. It's perfect." I told her flipping the pages till I found her many dress sketches.

"Which one do you like the best?" she asked me as I flipped through dresses that were lavender and robin's egg blue and there was even a red one.

"This one." I said stopping at a dress that was a robin's egg blue with a lavender sash diagonal across the top as well as the waist. The skirt she'd sketched onto the dress was a soft handkerchief bottom that had the illusion of a lavender sash flowing in drapes around it.

"It was my favorite too." Alice said. "I'll be back with it tomorrow to make sure it'll fit right."

"You're making it? How many careers are you going to choose?"

"Over the past many years I haven't actually chosen one. But you were right, I'll probably stick with party planning for now."

"Good to know." I told her, "Then you can stick my wedding in your portfolio."

"Great! Thanks! Well I should be heading back now. See you tomorrow!" she said running off.

I stayed alone in the house for the next few hours. I was starting to worry. I hadn't seen Jacob in three days now and Alice almost wouldn't leave me alone because I was the only one left to make wedding plans.

So after she'd finished her fitting the next day I decided to go and check out Jake's 'thinking spot'. Of which he wasn't _there_ either. Now I'd really wished I'd made him get a cell phone.

Then my phone rang, the caller ID was blank but I answered it anyway. "Hello?"

"I think we may have something you're looking for Miss Kathryn." It was Jane, of that I was sure. But in order to keep her from having an advantage I had to pretend like I didn't know she had anything that could have leverage over me.

"I'm not exactly looking for anything especially important. So why do you think you can have an advantage over me if you have that shirt that I was missing?"

"Don't play dumb with me. Your voice betrays more than you think it does. Plus you're not alone."

"Then why don't you show your face and talk to me here? Or are you just to scared because I lived through changing?"

"You're not as strong as you think and you're not getting away with much. If you want your precious husband to live through tonight you'll have to do a few things."

"I'm not sure you understand the situation, Jane. You think you know my every move? Well then, you've got another thing coming." I waited for a reply and then continued on, "If I'm not as strong as I think then why can't you show your face to me in person? You scared I'll kill you is that it?"

"Not at all, I'm testing you. Just as all good mentors do."

"You're not playing a game that I'm willing to play, Jane. And how do you call yourself my mentor when you left me for dead?"

"I didn't leave you for dead. I helped your grandmother find what she needed to keep you alive. You're worth more to the Volturi alive. Then again you're worth everything if you're alive, nothing dead. Sure we leave a pack minus one member but how is that a bad thing for us?"

"I never joined the pack. I'm a loner just like my grandfather." I hissed into my phone. "You won't get away with anything, especially after I find you."

"Oh but you have your husband to think about now don't you?"

"The wedding isn't for another two days." I hissed back.

"Then you have twice as much to lose, now don't you?" she paused, "You willing to listen to my propositions?"

"Fine." I hissed again.

"We're short a few members…"

"So what do you need me for? Werewolves are mortal enemies to vampires! Or have you forgotten?"

"Would you let me finish?" I heard some sort of scream in the background, "Another outburst and I'll cut him deeper into the arm." She paused and then continued again. "We need an insider with the Cullens, Edward, Kat and Alice all have useful abilities. If they haven't joined us in four days you better have one hell of a replacement or you can say good-bye to anything and everything you care about. Do we have a deal?"

"That depends."

"On what? How do you think you have leverage?"

"I've got a wedding to go to and it's a bit hard to have a wedding without the groom, now isn't it?"

"What are you suggesting?"

"It'll be a bit easier to convince them that I'm not working under leverage if there isn't anything left out to give me any leverage or sink me deeper into a hole."

"You have a point there. He'll be returned to your home shortly. We'll be back in four days." Then the phone line went dead. I smashed my phone into my pocket.

I walked slowly around the clearing trying to calm myself down before going anywhere near home, "I swear I'll kill anyone who tries that again!" I shouted to the sky. "And whomever is spying on me needs to leave before I rip their heads off!" a bush rustled and I left.

As I walked home I couldn't help but realize that I couldn't stop shaking and I knew it was because I was boiling mad. I was so angry that a normal person would shake which didn't much explain why I was so under control in my human form. How dare anyone try to pull that kind of crap with me? If Jane had that much of a problem coming to talk to my face, if anyone felt that way they'd all be cowards. And who was she to be calling herself my mentor? Freaky Star Wars moment…

_Kathryn? You okay?_ Edward thought.

_Go away Edward!_ I answered.

_Why? Obviously you need to talk to someone._

_Because I'm pissed and ready to bite anyone and everyone's heads off right now. Especially vampires. I'm now a werewolf remember?_

_Yes, I remember. And I figured enough to know that you were pissed. Not to mention that I heard the whole conversation between you and Jane, think of something else before I'm pissed to the point where I'm ripping heads off._

_You'll be the first head I bite off if you won't leave me alone._

_Kathryn, I'm talking to you through your mind, I'm not there. You would have to find me first and you'd be cooled down by then._ Edward thought quickly.

_Honestly, I wouldn't be that far away if I wanted to be._

_All right. Then would you talk about how angry you are at Jane or is that somewhere I shouldn't go?_

_I'm plotting her death as we speak. If you can call this speaking._

_Cat fight to come, I'll buy tickets._

_Stop sounding like Jacob._ I complained.

_I'm trying to lighten the mood. It's not that hard if you_ try_._

_Well I don't think that you'd _want_ to try if you really heard the whole conversation. You have no plans of joining the Volturi and there aren't enough of any of us, they're too strong to try and stop._

_You have so much doubt it yourself, Kathryn._

_Do you know something I don't?_

_Probably. And no I won't tell you to see if you do know or not. I don't think you're ready even if you do know._

_You sound like someone trying to sound wise. STOP THAT!_

_Sorry. But seriously, calm down._

_WHY?_

_Alice is over at your house. Don't bite her head off; even you know that you'd regret it. If not for your own actions but for how Jasper would feel afterward._

_Why is she over again? She left earlier after her "fitting", isn't that enough?_

_She's got an idea, hear her out._

_Why don't you just tell me yourself so I don't have to worry about biting her head off?_

_You should've learned by now that anyone can distract from the obvious if they think hard enough. She won't let me hear, she says you have to approve first._

_Aren't you a great help._

_Sarcasm isn't going to help anything._

_Then ask Kat where Jane is so I can take out my anger and frustration._

_Can't._

_WHY NOT?_

_She's been missing for a day now._

_Jane's holding her over your head._

_Maybe…she doesn't seem worried though._

_What'd you do to her?_

_Leave that to me. You have your own love crisis._

_So why is it so much more important for me to talk then you? Maybe I'm in league with the CIA and now I have to kill you for talking about it._

_You're not. THAT you wouldn't be able to hide._

_Maybe I did._

_Kathryn. Honestly, you've got to listen to Alice whatever it is she's probably got the best idea out of any of us. Don't bite her head off, for Jasper's sake?_

_No biting heads off if you call her and tell her to leave, I've got another mile before I get there and I DON'T want to see her. I'm not in the mood to listen to anyone right now._

_Fine, then listen to her before you bite her head off._

_You're giving me _permission_? Wow, thank you _daddy dearest_ for _that_._

_Kathryn…_

_Don't you dare Kathryn me. LEAVE ME ALONE!_

Then it was quiet, he wouldn't call Alice, and I'd have to deal with her. And it would kill me to see and _feel_ Jasper sad.

As I finished the mile left Alice came into view and she was embracing me in a hug before I could walk away. "You okay? That's a stupid question. Come on, I need to talk to you."

"Where's Jacob?"

"They're not going to drop him off, not yet."

"And you would know how? You can't see anything to do with werewolves."

"They're sending another one of their members. He's new. His name's Arthur. He's a shape shifter as well as an ability copy-cat."

"You've got to be freaking kidding me."

"No, I'm sorry. They think it'll fool you. I'm not sure how they'd think so. They don't know much about werewolves I guess. But I came over the second Edward told me about your phone call."

I pulled my phone out of my pocket, I forgot that I'd hung up and completely totaled the phone in hopes of venting my anger. "Speaking of which, you don't happen to know a master cell phone repairs person do you?"

"No but Edward said he got you a new one. You can pick it up later."

"I'd say thanks but I'm not sure what kind of phone he got so…"

"I'd feel the same way knowing his taste in most things. But you know it'll be one of our titanium silver flip phones, can't risk you breaking another one." She paused, "Come inside, I need to talk to you." She grabbed my wrist and pulled me inside and almost pushed me to sit on the couch. "I've got an idea on how to get the Volturi off your back but it's a bit risky."

"I live for risk if I can personally be the one to kill Jane."

"We need to find some insiders willing to help completely take out the entire Volturi."

"WHAT? ARE YOU NUTS?"

"Calm down! I don't know if any of them are close enough to listen."

"Sorry but Alice, you're crazy. They keep order in the vampire world where werewolves don't exist!"

"Calm down Kathryn. Listen to me, the werewolf population is spreading. More and more Indian tribes are starting to realize that they can change into other animals. Plus the vampires are learning that they don't get visits from the Volturi if they detour from human blood. You call it being a vegetarian vampire don't you?"

"Yes. But what does that have to do with anything?"

"If we're rid of the Volturi there is easier peace and harmony even if there are others who figure that they can get away easier then. Not many realize that there is such a vampire growth, you should be able to sniff out any of the people in your wolf form. That's what your legend talks about, one werewolf that will start the spread of animal shifting. You'll learn more if Jacob wants to tell you but I can guarantee that you'll be doing _a_ _lot_ of traveling."

"Let's leave that open for now. So how do you think we can accomplish this…task?"

"By doing just what they want us to do, join them."

"Alice, are you sure you left the mental disorders back with your human life? This is all pretty big and… well…CRAZY! Besides that Aro can see whatever he wants to from your memory, my memory, or anyone's memory just by a simple touch. How would you get around that to gain enough trust to make them let us stay?"

"Well, Aro can't touch you if he wants to live, none of them can really so you're fine. If we could find some way to…"

"What do you mean, 'can't touch me if he wants to live?'"

"I thought Edward was going to tell you." She paused, thinking of something. "Well, if he didn't tell you he probably doesn't want you to know but you should for your own safety." She paused again, "If you get touched or you touch any vampire who lives off of human blood you change without knowing what was happening to kill every vampire within a hundred mile radius, unless you're closed in. Of course you'd naturally avoid humans because you're supposed to 'protect' them. But you wouldn't exactly be safe around anything supernatural until you were back in your human form. There was only one other werewolf that was like that. He couldn't change back, it killed him. No one knows exactly how but it did."

"Did you know him personally? Or is that just plain sympathy you're feeling?"

"He's the only memory I can really remember from before. An old boyfriend, Greg. I didn't realize what it would do to him, or I really would have fought to stay with him. He didn't imprint on me. But he was different, one of those guys that kinda had to live without a girl to live. I try to block it out most of the time. I think he was like one of your grandfather's cousins…Strange huh?"

"I'm sorry." I told her putting my arm around her shoulder.

"Just don't die and the rest of us will get along fine." Alice said brushing a tear from the corner of her eye.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

"No room for failure." I was still talking to Alice after her slight breakdown. "But you know that don't you?"

"Nope. Jane said four days." Alice sighed. "Sadly, your strongest point is during full moon. I'd rather not be there for over a month waiting for the next one."

"That only gives us, one week after going to Volterra before we're out of time!" Kat exclaimed. She'd woken up somewhere near the Canadian border utterly confused as to how she got there. She'd taken a vampiric swim through the Puget Sound to get back only to be pulled into Alice's plot.

"The details further than that are sketchy." Alice said ignoring Kat's outburst. "I'm not sure how we'll work them out in a week and a half but we'll need to." Alice explained. "There's the matters of how to get everyone in without drawing attention…Keeping the Volturi from finding out and getting Edward to agree."

"You sound like we're going into some massive battle that'll take all our lives. Especially if we're not careful." Kat said.

I clarified, "My life. But, I guess if you don't follow directions closely, your life may be on the line as well."

"Good to know. So, what exactly is the plan?" Kat asked Alice.

"Edward is pissed that anyone would even suggest that he'd join the Volturi. So Kathryn, wishing to get Jane to leave her alone and get back to living her life offers to go in his place. She'd be a, I hate to say it but guard dog basically. She'd patrol the city at night. She's got a new ability too. She'll save the Volturi from drinking from a human that has werewolf blood. It's basically vampire poison. She can sense the humans that have the specific blood and can somehow bring their spirit side to them." Alice explained, "Of course I was the only one who knew that a time like this would even come."

"Carlisle's adopted family seems to be very entwined with my family. I guess it was all fate." I sighed. "Someone has to know more about me than me now don't they?" I added sarcastically. "So what's the plan on erasing memories? Alice can't see anything I do because I'm a werewolf now and Aro can't touch me to see anything out of fear of my special…um…don't think it's an ability, but whatever. You two however, aren't that lucky."

"I'm oddly working on that," Kat said. "Think of it as an out of school project. Not all summers are so thrilling. I started thinking up how abilities could be combined. When I heard of the shape shifter I figured that there had to be some secret to it." She smiled. "I have a theory that you might be able to control a mind but you'd have to know the workings of the brain and memory to erase something completely."

"Odd summer project but, okay," I offered. "How do you we could erase memories by controlling the mind?"

"Controlling the mind to forget something. It wouldn't be completely gone, just a large wall that you couldn't break down too easily. Well, Alice may not like the idea," Kat said, "but…Jasper can control emotions and Edward can read minds. If we could figure out how to combine their abilities maybe we could see if my theory works."

"Well," Alice said, "Jasper will be all for it. Edward's a bit harder to see a reaction for but he doesn't like it much." Alice said.

"He'll be okay with it," I said.

"How would you know?" Kat asked.

"For one he's standing right outside the door. Two, he said he could work with it if there was anything to back up the idea." I opened the door. "Please try to keep your emotions inside your own head. I like poker faces, or in this case minds," I grumbled as he walked past me and hugged Kat around the waist. It didn't bother me that he chose Kat over me in a case to be worried even though I was his great granddaughter. On occasion it did bother me but this definitely wasn't one of those times.

"Did you hear the two of them scared Jasper out of a room?" Alice mumbled to me when Edward took Kat out to the back porch. "The emotions between them are so strong."

"You don't know the half of it. If you even knew one one-hundredth of it, you'd get as sick as Jasper and I. Jacob's emotions around me aren't even that strong."

"That's because you return the feelings. Jasper's never over here and he's never around when you and Jacob are together. Ever wonder why? Apparently you two get just as sickening to him and he can't change it. Something about true love, he can't affect those kinds of emotions. Rare thing really, even with imprinting werewolves." Alice said.

"Interesting," I said, "I shouldn't pry, should I?"

"If you'd like to be in court for attempted murder, be my guest." Alice said walking away, slower than usual.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Edward's worried. All he's doing is talking her out of going. Watch, you'll be next."

"Glad to see he puts his feelings before family," I laughed sarcastically. I didn't exactly want to hear his pep talk. I could almost hear him saying, 'It's too dangerous to go, especially for you. Your life is at stake.' And all I'd do would be to answer back, 'If Alice thinks we have a shot, I don't see why we shouldn't. Would you honestly bet against her?' Especially now when it was approaching dawn, on my wedding day.

Jake was still missing. I was ready to send out a search and destroy party when he finally walked in the door. Alice seemed relived. Probably because they hadn't sent the shape shifter and really had returned my Jacob. It was nice to be able to call him _my _Jacob.

I walked him to the bedroom feeling strangely worried. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Everything," I sighed. His lips met mine, fueling the yearning for him that I'd had since my change. My hands tangled in his hair as his tangled in mine. Our bodies pressed together. Our lips moved like a spreading forest fire.

When I finally pulled away it burnt like a flame from the inside out but he needed his sleep. I could feel the pain Jane had put him through during our phone conversation.

Jake had done nothing but sleep since he'd walked through the door. I was going to ask him if he wanted to postpone the wedding, then thought about it. He'd obviously say no. He felt bad enough as it was that I'd talked him into not waiting for the wedding. I decided I'd let him sleep until he woke up.

Much to my discomfort he was up before I was, but worse, Alice arrived before I was up. She believed the superstition that if the groom saw the bride before the wedding, there was a curse upon the marriage. She had my dress ready. I had to say it did look very nice. Alice had the potential to do so many different things with her life. It surprised me that she hadn't chosen anything specific yet. I wouldn't want to go through high school _that_ many times. I had already had enough of how slow it was _now_.

"Do you want me to make him wear something other than sweats?" Alice asked. I was locked up in my room, Jake in his old one.

"Alice, if it makes that much of a difference for you, go ahead. I really don't care. I didn't want to wear a dress either." She was getting on my nerves, but I was so stressed out that I couldn't be mean to her with a tone. With too much stress it would build up and blow in another two and a half days.

"But it's your wedding! You need to be the one that's happy." She came and sat down next to me on the floor. "What's wrong? I may not be the emotions reader but you're troubled by something."

"Everything… Nothing. My stress is so high right now I'm not sure how much longer I can take it. Why do I have to go and be the one to completely destroy the Volturi? My life was fine before they came and messed it up. I would have eventually gotten to meet all of you and I'd have Jake too." I could almost feel tears in my eyes. Alice stood up and wrapped her arms around me. Oddly enough, they seemed warmer than usual.

"To be honest, if the Volturi hadn't intervened, you might not have gone through your change. Not many people believe in fate or destiny but something tells me you're one person who didn't have a chance to change your future. I know I didn't have a say in my outcome, but I'm not unhappy with it. It was probably different from what I'd dreamed of so long ago. Of course I'll never know for sure, those memories never came back to me." She paused and smiled. "I honestly wouldn't have my life any other way, even with the multitude of disasters that come along with it."

"Beautiful speech. You've got something similar for the toasts, don't you?"

"Yes. But it has to do more with something everyone else will understand. Not everyone there needs to know you're a werewolf and I'm a vampire. We'd all be dead after that for sure."

"That is extremely understandable," I told her. It was noon, one more hour till the complete embarrassment of walking down the isle in a…dress. There, I said it. I wanted my sweats so badly, especially when Alice pulled out a brand new pair of what looked like six inch heals. "I don't want to be taller than my groom! Alice! Those things are going to kill me whether I'm indestructible or not."

"Calm down. They only look huge."

I picked up one of the shoes that she'd placed at my feet and examined the heal. "Alice, this is a six inch heal. I can fit my hand over it and _barely_."

She grinned. "Calm down. Just trying to get you lightened up. They're my shoes." She took out another box. "I did what you asked and got you flats," she chuckled.

The shoes flawlessly matched the dress she'd made for me. "Well at least I know I can wear everything again. Or I'd be wasting a large amount of money."

"Weddings are supposed to be a large waste of money. You're supposed to spend huge amounts of money for simple 'I do's' and then throw a huge party."

"What movies are you watching? Most people freak out about what they spend. They get loans from the bank! Lucky you. You've saved up all that money over many, many years. You are the bank."

"Well, when you put it that way…" Alice looked up, walked over to the door, cracked it open and mumbled something I couldn't hear. She sighed then looked back at me. "Will I regret letting you two see each other before the wedding?" she asked.

I figured that was her way of telling me to put a robe on and hide the shoes so that Jake couldn't see my dress. I'd always thought it was the superstition of the dress. Alice seemed to think _much _differently. "I sure hope not." I said after I'd found a longer robe.

She opened the door, let Jake in, leaving silently. "I hate all the superstitious crap."

"Come on, give in a bit. She's only doing what she wants to like most do when their friends get married," I told him as he put his arms around my waist and kissed me gently.

"Would this be an appropriate time to say 'I could get used to this'?"

"Considering you've lived with it for the past three months, no." I put my arms around his neck and he kissed me again. Then Edward came in.

"Alice gave in I see. Oh well. Time to go." Edward took Jacob's hold off of my waist and almost pushed him out of the room. He held his arm out for me. Unwillingly I took it after finding my shoes, leaving the robe behind on the bed.

Alice made sure Jacob was gone before we came down the stairs. "Everyone makes such a big deal out of the things that are supposed to be simple."

"Just doing our job," Edward said holding the front door open for me.

"Shouldn't have told anyone," I mumbled, more to myself than to anyone else. I realized that there was a black stretch limo waiting outside. "WHY?" I turned around so fast I could have given myself whiplash.

"It's rented. No a big deal."

"We're going to a small clearing where there are no roads. How is this _not_ a big deal?"

"Overreacting much?" Edward said. "Do you hate being pampered that badly?"

"YES!"

"Calm down. Alice didn't want to see your dress dirty so this is what she suggested."

Alice wanted this, Alice didn't want that. I was starting to get sick and tired of everyone using it as an excuse to do thing that were over the top. "Why the limo then? Why not just a car?"

"She said it was more wedding appropriate." Edward almost laughed to himself.

Alice had probably talked Jacob out of his sweats, too. It was too natural for Alice to be telling us what to wear. We were not the kinds of people to dress up. Everyone would expect him in sweats and at most, me in a skirt.

"Please just let her have her moment to say she planned it, and pretend you love it. She's easier to deal with if you let her get her," Edward said.

"Yea, yea fine," I mumbled staring out the window. The day was almost sunny. Luckily the shade would be on the side where the Cullens would sit so they didn't sparkle, drawing more attention from the Volturi. We were in deep enough as it was. It would have been easier to say that my friends who didn't know, the secret side of life here on the reservation and in Forks, couldn't come. But Alice felt bad that I would only have a few people so I let her invite whomever she wanted, the only catch it had to be under twenty-five people.

Once the very slow moving vehicle arrived near the path, definitely a shorter walk than the walk to the reception area, we got out and headed towards it. I could have seriously used some anti-nausea medication right about now. I figured it was 'pre-marital jitters' rather than being sick.

"Are you feeling okay?" Edward asked. I stopped and held my stomach.

"Not exactly," I said through gritted teeth. I realized it was pain, not nausea.

"What's wrong?" he asked helping me to a post or a stump, I'm not sure which. I was in so much pain. "Where does it hurt?" he asked reaching into his pocket. I was becoming very annoyed with those titanium silver cell phones. They'd gotten me one too in hopes I wouldn't break it again.

"Everywhere," I gasped. I couldn't exactly tell where the pain was but I could say I knew where it hurt worst.

Carlisle was there almost instantly after Edward had pulled out the phone. He asked again where it hurt. Again, I couldn't locate it exactly. Some wedding day. Just because Carlisle was a doctor didn't mean he knew the cause of unreasonable pain. I tried to remember if I'd had any conditions in the past that would cause pain like this. Nothing came to mind other than Jane. But in no time at all Carlisle had located the spot and said that I just needed applied heat. That was almost music to my ears, the only applied heat around right now was Jake, and a few of the other members of the pack but that was beside the point of where the pain was the most intense.

Alice was very upset that I wouldn't choose anyone else from the many werewolves just sitting around but said she understood.

The pain was gone very soon after Jake had just held me. I was so comforted being there with him that I wanted to ruin Alice's day and make everyone go home and have a quiet ceremony. He said that Alice was right though, I deserved to have a few of my old friends there as my new, almost family. It wasn't worth talking about so I faked being in pain for a tiny bit longer. I wasn't going to see him for a week after I left in two days. I was going to take every last second I had with him.

Edward and Carlisle had finally caught on that I didn't want either of them there and had left.

Jake was looking at me worriedly, almost like he had a couple days before my change, "What?" I asked him after a long time waiting to see if he was going to ask me anything.

"You didn't tell me you were leaving in two days." He said pulling me closer as if he didn't ever want to let go.

"I was going to, later. I swear I was." he took my chin in his hand and lifted my head until I was looking into his eyes, they were so deep with pain that it hurt worse than anything to see them.

"Why do you always do that?"

"Do what?" I asked as he let my chin fall and I rested my cheek against his clothed chest. I felt like crying but didn't.

"Hurt me worse by trying not to hurt me?" he asked again pulling me closer. It was almost to the point of suffocation but I couldn't help wanting to just stay there for the rest of eternity.

"How am I supposed to know? I don't keep things from you, just sometimes you miss the signs." I was so near tears that I was surprised at the force that I held them back.

"What was the sign this time?" he asked holding me at arms length, probably to make sure I wasn't lying.

"My stress and worry."

"So I was supposed to just ask you what was wrong and you would have told me?"

I couldn't lie this time, not about this. "No. Not this time. It was too hard for me to take that I honestly wouldn't have physically been able to tell you. I would have told you to go ask Alice or someone else but you wouldn't have been able to hear it from me." I couldn't stop the tears anymore. And just like Jacob, he held me close until I stopped. It was a while before I did stop. "I must either be extremely sensitive to situations or someone that can't handle weddings." I muttered laughing slightly.

"That's okay. No harm done." He said again holding me, "But to be honest I think the guests are waiting and it's been a while."

"Right." I said attempting to wipe off my tears without damaging the nicely done makeup that Alice had worked very hard to get right. Jake helped and it was easier just to let him handle it seeing as he was a bit calmer than I was.

When we came in sight of everyone they looked slightly relieved to see that I was okay. Apparently they'd all been informed of my technical difficulty as not to worry.

The wedding went on as planned and then there was some bizarre ritual that Leah made me do which was take of my shoes and run under a bridge of the guests with Jake following. Something about symbolizing that the woman has the strength to lead or something. Jake thought it was strange too but no one questioned it or even laughed so I figured it must have honestly been a tradition.

The reception followed when I felt terrible to cut the cake Alice had rushed a very nice wedding baker to get in time. But I had to admit it was too much fun to shove cake into Jake's face. Everyone else must have thought so too because it was like we'd all had laughing gas, we couldn't stop laughing. Then there was a bit of what seemed to be drunk dancing which was strange because we'd completely forbidden alcohol from the wedding in fear that we'd have too many under aged drinkers, as well as being worried for Emily and the daughter she was determined to have.

Jake and I left early after opening the wedding gifts everyone had brought. It felt so strange to be doing that because not many weddings that I'd been to had been 'G' rated. My worries were fine though, lots of gift cards to various restaurants and of course, from Edward and Alice, another car. We'd be fully loaded by the time I actually hit my twenties.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jake asked when I'd sat down at the kitchen table after I'd practically chopped it in half.

"Not really." I said as he pulled up a chair beside me.

"Well then, that's kinda too bad because you said you weren't keeping anything from me." I groaned. This was not what I'd asked for. I just wanted to be alone plotting Jane's death.

"Can I tell you later? I'm not exactly in the mood for _that_ subject."

"Then what are you in the mood for?" He asked.

"How about a truckload of chocolate?"

"I was thinking something else, but you're that hungry?"

"No, I'm in that bad a mood."

He put his arms around me and just held me there. Every once in a while he'd kiss the top of my head and rock me back and forth a bit but other than that it was just like having a nice warm pillow to cry into though my tears for the day were gone.

When he removed his arms and got up from the table I almost fell over. He moved so swiftly it was like I wasn't the one that was part vampire. "What?" I asked and he quickly moved one of his large hands to my mouth. When there was a large cracking sound I then knew why. I moved his hand and stood up and then naturally poised myself for attack. The person that soon stood before me looked like Edward but I could assure you that it wasn't. He couldn't talk to me through thoughts and when I read his mind he was thinking of nothing more than completing some mission. He seemed surprised when I flipped him onto his back and threatened to kill him if he didn't tell me who he was and what he was doing here. Of course I'd found gloves first out of fear that he'd be one of the people suckers. His name was Arthur, and he was just following the orders of, who wouldn't have guessed, _Jane_. She'd heard of some plotting going on and had sent him to find out if it were true or not. Angrily I gave him the slight details I knew, it wouldn't happen unless it was a full moon, no one was to touch me and Edward refused to be any part of it. In truth that was pretty much all I knew. I knew that if I told them they'd keep closer tabs on us giving us an easier time to gain their trust and they'd make sure on a full moon I wasn't in the city, which would mean perfect time to bring in reinforcements. It was almost too perfect that Jane had sent her little spy. I'd be sure to rub it in her nose when I killed her.

With the whole spy thing I was off the hook for talking about it any further with Jake. I felt bad about not being able to tell him anything more than it hurt myself to try and convince myself that I would live through that. Chances were just about as bad as if someone tried to drown me as a human. Probably worse. Even I couldn't hold my breath for more than a day.

But it was becoming late in the day so I retired to my room while Jake "patrolled" the area for any sign left of Jane.

I tried to calm myself down enough to sleep but found myself pacing back and forth across the room. It was so much stress I was under! Not to mention the fact that I was now married and would only be for about another week unless the odds decided to turn in my favor. Oh how I loathed to even think the thought.

"You still can't sleep?" Jake asked when he came in the room.

"No. Too much to think about or stress over." I told him sitting on the end of the bed.

He came and sat down next to me. "I understand that but you're not going any good by over it."

"Easy for you to say." I complained once again standing up but before I had the time to take another step he'd grabbed my wrist and pulled me back down next to him.

"Time to talk if you're this stressed about it." He said though his eyes betrayed his true reason for asking.

"Fine, what do you not know that you still need to?"

"Let's start with what you know." He said taking both of my hands in his, "All of it please."

"I don't know everything but I'll do my best." I said and taking a deep breath I told him everything, minus the odds that I wouldn't come back from it. The one-week deadline, the fact that Alice and Kat had to find some way to wipe their memory so they didn't know most of it. And I threw in my disgust in having to wear a large black cloak when inside the city. I told him everything till the point came where I couldn't tell him about the not coming back possibility. He noticed.

"Kathryn, you have to learn that you don't help me by keeping things from me. If you know something that you don't want to say… It's better that you do." He told me but he was on the other side of the room now, hands on his head looking about as stressed out as I felt.

"You honestly want me to tell you that I might not come back from that kind of attack? I can hardly tell myself that! You lose me, that's it! I lose EVERYTHING! Family, friends, my life. You." I couldn't keep anymore of the tears from coming, I felt like I was being some sort of waterfall, the tears coming in gushes instead of individual tears. I was crying so hard it took to the point where I was suffocating myself to realize that he'd come back across the room just to hold me. I thought about pushing him away from me because I'd have to live the week like this and I wouldn't have him with me to be a comfort but I thought better and said that it was for him more than for me.

"I'm coming with you." Were the words that I finally recognized that he was repeating over and over again, probably more to himself than to me.

"No." I said standing up, really pushing him away more and more. "Honestly, you want me to feel that much worse? It's a whole week to get over the facts, if you came, no. No, no, no, no, no!"

"Kathryn, calm down. Why can't I come? I understand that it would be difficult for you but that is beside the facts. No one has this large a reaction to not wanting a constant reminder." Why did I feel like we were ready to get into a screaming argument? It was so hard for me to make him listen and understand, he wasn't even offering a reason to come with me other than just coming.

I sighed. "Because…if anything were to happen while we were there…anything at all…" I paused holding back more tears and getting control of my breathing before I continued, "I'd never forgive myself." And I honestly never would. Not with the stakes at risk, and then there was always the fact, what if something did happen and I did survive? Then how would I live with myself, with anything anymore? It wasn't the easiest thing to kill me, not even if I tried myself. It would be easier for another werewolf, just give up the ability and then commit suicide like any regular human. I was different. Unless anything internally happened to me I was indestructible and if I gave up my werewolf ability I'd have to find someone willing to rip me to shreds and set me on fire. If the Volturi were gone whom else was I supposed to find?

"Alright then. I won't come. You'll owe me big for it though." He said again wrapping his arms around me, "You lived through odds that were worse than a human jumping out of a plane without a parachute had the chances of living. How badly could the odds be this time?"

"Worse. I have better odds, now, of living through being drowned for two days then I do for living through this. I don't like them but I don't have a choice."

"You always have a choice."

"This time I don't, when I was changed I didn't, when I changed by my blood heritage I didn't. My life makes the decisions for me, not the other way around." I said lying myself down against the multitude of pillows. Jake lay down next to me and I naturally curled up into his chest like I'd done every night before for the last few months and just sat there trying to make sense out of everything. It took him longer than usual to wrap his arms around me and sleep as well; there was too much stress right now, too much pain. Too much chance of loss to deal with. It was times like these that I wished that I didn't have to take care of things myself and that I could leave it in God's hands but this was something that I knew I had to do myself no matter what happened. I'd find a way to come out of it. Or at least if I couldn't I'd make it look like I tried. Nothing meant more to me than finding some way for Jacob to be happy if I didn't come out of it, nothing at all.

The days passed and I spent many hours at the Cullen's house trying to help find a way to work the mind control-erasing thing that Kat was talking about. Jacob spent the hours at his thinking spot trying to find ways that he could convince me that he could come. He never came home with anything usable though.

Finally, we were down to hours before Jane would come looking for the Volturi's new employees, we found a way to work the plan. Alice said she saw it working. If we had Jasper and Edward use their abilities on each other at full strength it'd work. They'd have stronger abilities and the ability to erase any memories that were unnecessary, or didn't need to be there either.

So we left Edward and Jasper alone for a while. Now the plan had changed. Alice said she saw Edward and Jasper showing up as our reinforcements. She tried to hide from me that Jacob and Leah had also joined in but she was to worried about it that I found out. Then came the interesting part of things, the plan did work, but to better extension than we thought. It figures that Alice would probably see things going down in a vision if any of us knew so we had to keep her from knowing the longest we could possible. I'd have to "forget" the plan too until further notice. The only ones that would be able to know about it were the ones that Alice wouldn't have any contact with.

Edward ended up with the ability to erase the memories, while Jasper, luckily, got the ability to replace memories with whatever he felt like putting in there.

I was the last to go, finding that I didn't remember anything different, not even the mind wiping until after Jasper had to go in and fill the empty memory spaces. We couldn't have spent four days doing nothing, it seemed I was the easiest. I'd just been married so it wasn't hard to think of anything to put in for a few days after a wedding, after all what do most married couples do?

Thank goodness that Aro wasn't going to be able to touch me to see those things though. I'd never be able to live it down. I was surprised that I was still living when Edward read my mind every now and again to make sure all the traces of the plan were gone.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

When we were finished and "good to go" we had a half hour before leaving behind everything, everyone and the protection we were giving people here. I returned, more joyfully, home not remembering the chances of death to find that Jacob was very sorrowful and didn't want to even look at me before I left because he couldn't think of a good enough reason to come along. I told him that I'd only be gone for three months at most. It seemed to make him feel worse, probably because I didn't remember my odds of living, but he tried to mask over his pain and hurt enough to kiss me and hold me before I had to leave. I packed nothing knowing I wouldn't need anything and if I did I could easily recover it from anywhere I wanted.

I did feel sad leaving but a bit angered to see Jane again. I didn't realize that she'd even still ask why I was coming instead of Edward.

"What do you mean? You sent your little spy to find out what was going on. He didn't tell you miss mighty?" I asked her feeling very angered.

"No, he told me. But the deal was that _Edward_, Alice and Kat would come. Like you said, what need of a werewolf do the Volturi have?" she asked.

I couldn't say how much that angered me but I answered coolly, "Then why did you have such a calling for me when you'd first found out that I'd changed? Why did you have such an interest in me before I'd changed when you knew I was going to?" I hissed back.

"That's for me to know and you to find out." She said. "Well, I guess if you had to serve time with us anyway we can work a bit harder on Edward. Aro will be a bit pleased but not as much as if Edward had come."

Now it was Alice's time to cut in. "Well, if you don't want her coming along then I'd be happy to watch you all die when you bite into some human with blood that will change eventually. She's got the ability to find them so you don't die and it's her changing that started the revolution in all Indian tribes."

Jane was not pleased with this but she played it as cool as possible. "Well in that case I guess we could use you better than Edward. Fine. The plane is waiting for three extra passengers anyway." She grumbled and walked away leaving us and her spy to follow.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

We landed in Florence and quickly departed in a car that Jane had waiting for us. The drive was a few hours long with the countryside passing us by faster and faster as we passed fewer and fewer people. Four of us were silent the entire way to the uppercity gates, there was no reason to speak, none of us needed to sound excited. Jane didn't need to hear it from any of us either, and her spy didn't really care about anything other than his spy position because he talked about it non-stop.

When the car pulled to a stop in front of the city gates Jane and her spy got out while Jane being impatient asked us to follow quickly. It was a cloudy, late day so there was no need for cloaks at this point in time, thank goodness.

We found the doors leading toward the underground city quickly, it had been a thing of nightmares when reading the "Twilight" series but it was almost a thing of beauty now that I'd seen it in person. Maybe the next week wouldn't be so bad…

"Obviously you won't really be needed for a while so I can show you to your room." Jane said motioning to a long hallway. "End of the hallway. Can't miss it." She smirked then she walked away with Kat and Alice towards their meeting room.

I take back saying it wouldn't be so bad, having Jane here I'm not sure why the thought had even entered my mind.

"May I come in?" a voice called from outside the door to 'my room'. It was male but young, hard to place a name to, probably because it was unfamiliar to me. He came in without waiting for a reply.

"I'm surprised you would even ask." I shot back sitting at a desk.

"I figure it is smarter to be friends with the werewolf rather than enemies." He said, "I'm different than the rest of the Volturi as well. Don't feed off of humans, haven't even tasted their blood." I jumped when I felt his hand on my shoulder. But strangely enough, no shudders.

"Get. Your. Hand. Off. Of. Me." I clenched my teeth together fighting an urge to slap him. Only because it would make gaining trust harder.

"I'm sorry. I've proved my point though haven't I?" he looked at me thoughtfully, "By the way, name's Alex." He held his hand out toward me. Regretfully I shook it. "As of right now I'm your messenger until they can find a better use of me. Better than the body clean-up they had me on though." He shuddered.

"What will it take for you to leave me in peace?" I asked putting my index fingers to my temples.

"Just asking. Sorry again if I bothered you." Alex replied and left.

"I'm not sure I'll be able to live with _that_." I moaned to myself or to the imaginary person I wanted in the room with me. The flight had been terrible and hard to sleep on, especially with Jane and her spy on either side of me. At least now it was peaceful enough to sleep.

But my snooze didn't last long before Alex was back because Aro wanted to see me personally. He escorted me to Aro's "private office" as I figured he would, and then left again.

"How long do you plan on staying?" Aro asked me.

"Long enough to teach someone to save your sorry behinds from…vampire food poisoning. Then I'll be more than happy to get on with my life." I put acid into every word.

"How long should that take?" he asked ignoring my outburst. But he continued without waiting for an answer, "If you teach _Alex_ how long would it take?"

I stopped myself from screaming and begging to teach someone else, "A week and a half I presume." _More like forever if he even listened to half the things I said._ It was disgusting the way he even looked at me. It was like he had no idea I was married, _maybe he hadn't noticed the rock on my finger…_

"Good, I promised Edward you would be left alone, away from us _so_, the sooner you train him the better. He will accompany you on patrols so you can teach him and be with you while you assess everyone Helga brings back for feeding." He paused as Alex re-entered the room, "Is there anything I can do to make your stay more comfortable?"

I was ready to say "If you let me kill Alex my stay would be much more enjoyable." But held myself back. "I'm fine. When would you like me to patrol?" I asked.

"Tonight there is no need, you've just had a long trip. But tomorrow as well as the next few nights it would be wise. Start at ten each night, just after everyone's curfew and you'll be fine."

With that Alex and I were dismissed.

This place was going to drive me MAD! Not only was I beyond stuck with Alex but I was alone for many hours like a prisoner…AGAIN!

Alex walked me back to my room and lingered there for a while. He looked about my age but acted like he was ADHD or something. "Do you want to start teaching me tonight?" he finally asked.

"I don't even know how to do anything yet. They're feeding tomorrow so hopefully I can teach you on tomorrow night's patrol." I said laying back on the couch in 'my room'.

"Alright then." He walked over and _kissed me._ I punched him as I sat up.

"I'm married you creep! See?" I held up my left hand toward his face.

"I would say I'm sorry but your husband isn't here and he won't be able to tell that you've done anything so I really don't care." He said leaning in again to kiss me. This time I kicked him, even though it would have no effect. He staggered then smiled evilly, "You'll wish you hadn't done that." He left making me feel as if I really had betrayed Jake by coming, even if it was partially for his safety as well.

I was really pissed off at his arrogance, so annoyed that I was truly ready to ask Aro for another assignment, or not wait till the full moon to show the Volturi to their graves.

Three hours later I recognized his ability: he could change the way you felt about something just by a connection. He chose kissing _me_ for whatever reason. The little…I couldn't even bring myself to say the word. Why was he toying with my emotions in a way not even Jasper could if he wanted to? It was creating a hole in my heart that left me breathless and in pieces.

I pulled out my cell phone, oddly enough I got some pretty good reception in an underground city. I dialed Jake's…my…our house. No answer. I called Edward's cell, "Hello? Kathryn?"

"Do you know where Jake is?" I asked between slight sobs.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked. "Is everything alright?"

"I just want to talk to him," Sounding more lighthearted.

"He asked if he could stay with us but he's not here right now." Worry clear in his voice.

"Did you check both of the clearings?" I asked worry entering my voice as well.

"I was going to give him some space."

"Space doesn't apply when his wife wants to talk to him! Find out where he is and have him call me. Now!" I hung up the phone. Edward was keeping something from me and we were both too far away from each other to hear the other's thoughts.

Alex came back in the room with the shape-shifting spy…what was his name…Arthur? "What was the phone call for?" Arthur asked.

"What, am I not allowed to keep contact with my family?" I asked.

Alex looked at the ground but Arthur spoke. "Not while you're here."

"My family already knows about the Volturi," I shot back. "Why the secrecy towards those who already know of your existence?"

"To keep from revealing anything they don't know." Arthur shot back. "Alex is no longer allowed to leave you alone and will monitor all your calls, in or out. If there is anything suspicious we'll bring in someone that has a better ability to keep you accountable." With that Arthur left leaving Alex standing two feet from the door looking utterly humiliated.

"Because I made a phone call to my husband? You can't be that sick minded can you?" I asked, the tears in my eyes now subsiding, being replaced by anger.

"I was told to keep an ear out for anything that seemed out of the ordinary. No one had even been informed that you still had your phone." Alex said. "I did not wish for you to hate me because I was doing my job, I would rather not become one of the victims that they take."

"I would love to feel sorry for you but that's not going to happen after what you did before!" I was angry and sad at the same time, sad because it brought me pain that he would betray me like that just because he liked me. Now I couldn't even be beside myself to think.

"I can make the hurt go away." He said after a long time of standing silently.

"I don't want any of your ability! Just stay away from me." I said pushing myself into a corner of the room behind the bed.

He was beside me in an instant. "I don't like you being hurt. Especially not when you cry." He wiped a tear out of the corner of my moistened eyes.

"Then get the heck out and leave me alone!" I curled myself into a ball and rolled against a wall corner. I wanted to be alone, even more than that I wanted Jake, not just his voice but him.

"I can't do that." He said. He took my chin in his hands, "I'm sorry if you hate me for this but it's for your own good." And once again his lips met mine. I knew if I gave him his way it would be easier next time for him to leave me alone but his ability was too strong for me and I reacted as well. There was no way I'd be able to live this memory down, _ever_.

When he released me I did feel strangely better but even more guilty than ever. My phone rang, it was Edward's cell number. Alex nodded and walked over to another corner. "Hello?" my voice was shaking.

"Hey, sorry it took so long for me to call you. How are you? What did they do to you?" it was Jake! My heart fluttered momentarily and then the guilt returned more than the moments had before.

"I'm fine, but I miss you terribly. They don't want me talking to you very often though, some fear of letting loose too much information."

"I understand. I love you." My heart skipped a beat, how would he react if I told him that I might be falling in love with another vampire, more so because of his ability.

"I love you too. So much." I clutched my chest as searing pain entered it.

"Why do you sound so distant?" he paused, "Don't try and tell me it's because of the millions of miles between us either."

I had to laugh slightly at his attempt to lighten my mood. "I don't feel myself when you're not around, like I'm another person." I told him.

"That's my girl! I miss you more than ever. You'll be home soon won't you?"

"I hope so. No less than a week and a half but no more than three months remember?" even though he couldn't see me smile I smiled at him.

"Yes, I remember. I hope it's only the week and a half." His voice betrayed him.

"What are you hiding from me?" I asked suddenly worried.

"Nothing, nothing at all."

"You promised we wouldn't hide anything from each other!" I could feel tears forming in my eyes again.

"I'm not hiding anything, I swear. Just do what you need to do and get home, it's difficult staying with your great grandfather while you're over there in Italy."

"Alright. Love you so much, wish you could be here with me." I almost whispered into the phone.

"I'll come for a visit if you'll let me…" the line went dead.

"Jake?" I heaved a sigh. My battery had gone dead and I hadn't taken my charger with me. I threw my phone against the far wall watching it shatter into pieces.

"You could have just called him back." Alex said.

"No use. Battery's dead and didn't bring a charger." I sighed.

"I'm sorry."

"That's the second phone I've gone through in the last five days." I almost laughed. "My anger keeps getting the better of me."

"You want me to take the pain away again?" I shook my head.

"I don't need to feel any more guilty than I already do. Besides now that I don't have a phone there's no need for you to continually be in here." I'd just found a way around the constant watch of the vampire that was in love with me, harsh price.

"Stand up." He told me.

"Why?" I asked but I stood anyway.

"They told me if something like this happened I had to make sure you didn't have another phone on you." I sighed.

"What does that mean? I didn't bring a bag and I'm only wearing a tank and a skirt. There isn't anywhere to hide a phone other than the one unoccupied pocket."

"This is embarrassing but they said I had to pat you down." Alex said his hand on the back of his head.

"Get it over with then." I sighed.

"How about I just say I did and you let me take away your embarrassment?"

"I'm not embarrassed, and NO!" I replied. "If that's the way you're going to toy with me I'd rather you just patted me down." I grumbled.

"Alright then. Just don't hit me again." He said going through the regular procedure of a police-like pat down.

"How old are you exactly?" I asked when he was finished.

"Seventeen. But technically I've been fifteen for three years now." He said and then left to report what had happened. I was undisturbed until the next night.

"They're feeding soon. Helga just brought them all in." Alex's voice came from the other side of the door.

"I'm coming." I said getting up off my bed, and rushing out, following Alex down the long hallway toward the feeding room. I grimaced when I saw all the people standing in front of me.

"Sound like a tour guide, for both our sakes." Alex said pushing me forward.

"Good afternoon everyone. You're all very lucky today! We've got a special tour for some of you who qualify. How many of you are from the United States?" a few people raised their hands urgently. "How about Transylvania?" no one, odd. "How many of you are under the age of eighteen?" Four, that didn't leave very many, four people. That didn't give me much to work with to see if my ability even worked. "Alright you four come with me." I said moving to the side.

I tripped hoping that someone, other than Alex, would help me up if not all of them considering they were all guys. It worked, all four of them had a hand on either of my arms. "I can be such a klutz. I'm sorry." I got up. "Please follow me." I said leading them into another room. One of them was definitely on the brink of shape shifting, I could sense it fully, but I wasn't sure how to figure out which one was the one.

Once inside the room I had Alex have the rest of the "tour" group wait outside the feeding room until I could figure out how to work the ability I supposedly possessed. I sat down behind a desk, "Do any of you know if you have Native American blood?" I asked.

"I do." One of them said, he was closest to me. He was tall, very lanky for an Indian boy, dusty blonde hair and the trademark darker tanned skin.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Kevin, Kevin Otter." The other boys laughed.

"Just because his last name is Otter doesn't mean you have the right to laugh." I looked for a form that I'd quickly created while "locked away" in my room. "I'm sorry. I seem to have misplaced my forms." I said slyly. "Kevin is the only one qualified today, I'm sorry. Would you three please follow me back out. I will have one of my assistants bring your forms in Kevin." I said and ushered the other three boys back out.

"One?" Alex asked as the other three joined the regular group.

"You expected more? Usually vampires are pretty good about staying away from Native Americans. They usually have some kind of reservation that keeps vampires away. I'm not sure how to explain how I knew it was the one though."

"That helps _so_ much." Alex said sarcastically.

"Don't snap at me! I haven't even tested this until today! Just help me escort the kid out." I said going back to the room where Kevin was waiting. "Sorry to keep you waiting, please follow me. Spoke with my manager, you don't need the forms." I smiled warmly. Kevin followed Alex closely as I followed behind to make sure no one attempted to stop us. Alice rounded a corner in front of us.

"Hey! You found one!" she said gleefully falling in line beside me. "You figure out how it works yet?"

"Alice, the guy doesn't even know why he's getting special treatment." I told her. Kevin stopped as I told her that.

"I thought I was specially qualified because of a drawing or something." He said.

"No, um…how do I put this so you don't think I'm crazy?" I thought about it. I could change and show him that way but I didn't really want to do that inside the city unless absolutely necessary. "You're a shape shifter."

"Oh, I already know that." I looked at him with a questioning gaze. "Family has been for years. I knew it was going to happen to me eventually."

"Then why did you come to Volterra? You did know that there is a large cult of vampires here did you not?" Alice said, her glee suddenly gone.

"I was hopping to get one of the suckers." Kevin replied.

"You IDIOT! You'd be killed too. We have to get you out of here." I said fainting. When I opened my eyes I was in wolf form but in some forest, nowhere near Volterra. There was a small creature standing before me.

"I'm here for Kevin." It said opening its eyes slowly. Brown furred ferret. Fitting for Kevin, though a weasel would have been _more_ fitting. "You're here to take me to him right?"

"I guess so." I replied. "Are you able to explain to me how I do this?"

"Easy. If there are others around you that are looking for their spirit halves, us shiny creatures, then you'll enter the spirit world to find us. Fainting every time. I'm sorry it's not less painful for you though. But Kevin needs me. Guide me back." The tiny creature said to me.

I didn't know how but I managed to find Volterra in the spirit world and lead the fuzzy critter back to Kevin's body and me to mine. I awoke with a start, Alex had his arms around me, I'd find some way to get him for it later, and Alice was holding Kevin against a wall.

"What happened?" Alex asked when he saw that I was awake.

"I found out how my ability works. Looks like I'm going to be here for a longer time than I thought." I sighed. "Is Kevin alright?"

"He's fine. I like him better in his spirit form." Alice laughed. "You werecritters always change the first time you get your spirit halves? I like him, cute critter he is." She said as Kevin came to.

"Interesting change. Thanks, Guardian." Kevin said then walked through the doors at the end of the hallway leading toward the upperground city.

"Guardian?" Alex asked me.

"I think it's the name of my spirit." I said standing up.

"The spirits have names?" Alex asked.

Alice laughed to herself. "You have a name don't you? Animals have names they call themselves too. Therefore spirits must have names too right?"

"Thanks for your help Alice but isn't curfew coming?" I asked shaking Alex off of me.

"I hate this curfew stuff. You get to stay out all night, and _you're_ the one that sleeps!"

"I didn't make the rules." I said grimly. "At least you get to move around during the rest of the day. I'm stuck in my room unless they need me." I said gruffly and then followed the path that Kevin had taken, of course his spirit would know the way out but I wanted to make sure he was okay on his own. Sure enough everything was fine, "Time for a patrol." I said as Alex joined me.

"Do you have anything to teach?" he asked.

"Unless you can suddenly acquire my ability as a werewolf then no, I'm stuck with not being able to teach."

"I'm sorry. Well, if they feed for the next few days maybe you can find out some way."

"All I can think of is ask if they have Indian blood. And they have to be under the age of eighteen. Other than that I can't figure anything out. Helga doesn't usually bring back minors does she?"

"Not that I've seen." Alex said grimly. "Not since my girlfriend. That's why I'm the way I am," he paused, "My girlfriend, Lucy, was with her family on vacation and invited me along, we were brought down there, she and her parents died, and so did one of the others that fed on her. If Aro hadn't been so concerned for the other vampire that was dying I would be dead also. Vowed never to bite a human as long as I lived because of that very day. I miss her terribly."

"That's a terrible story. Please keep the sob stories to a minimum while we're on patrol though. I'd rather not get attached to anything here." I said, darn emotion sensory.

"Oh, that's right. You can feel the pain that I feel during my memories…"

"No, I don't want you to use your ability. Just keep the sob stories to a minimum." I said as he reached for my hand.

"You're attached to me as well. There's nothing wrong with it." Alex said walking at my slowed pace with me.

"It's not the same thing. I really am fifteen, I still do age, the only reason I'm married is because werewolves, when they fall in love, with one person it really is love at first sight. You become emotionally attached to that person and there's no way you could leave them without tearing yourself into pieces, not literally speaking. If we'd met up and neither of us were vampires… I still wouldn't feel for you the way I do about my husband. It would have been impossible." I said taking my hand away from his and holding both of my hands behind my back.

"You don't have to explain it to me. I knew that you loved me too, you didn't have to confirm it if you didn't want to that badly." Alex said stopping in front of me. "How cliché. Looks like I've started a love triangle. If you're going to be here for a while, might as well enjoy yourself."

"There's plenty more to it than that. Not only did I sadly catch myself falling in love but I left my husband telling him I was pregnant."

"Ouch. You want to push me away that badly? I can take a hint or two but that's hitting below the belt."

"Alex, I'm serious!" my memory of the plan came rushing into my head, as I thought of everything in the past seven days. "Can I trust you or do you keep in close contact with the Volturi?"

"Trust me with what? You don't want to tell me the secret to how I can save them from killing themselves?"

"No. That's not it. It's worse." We had reached the outer gates of the upperground city. The farthest point from the underground city. "The only reason I'm here is because…I want to be rid of the Volturi once and for all."

Alex stared at me. "You need someone they already trust? You're asking the wrong person. All I'm good for is making sure you don't make a run for it."

"No, I don't need any help from the inside. I just need someone on my side. Alice and Kat are in on it too but they don't remember. Because I'm a werewolf Alice can't see if I remember or not so as long as neither of them remember by the full moon at the end of the week we'll be fine. I just need someone to help sneak people into the city to make sure that the Volturi can't escape a large room. Please help me." I said all in one breath.

Alex looked at me in disbelief. "You're an emotional wreck. How do you live through your life like that?"

"Stop with the criticism. Will you help or not?"

"Alright. I'm in, for Lucy." He paused, "Just promise me that you'll get rid of me too so I can see Lucy again."

"And here you're hitting on me? Have you no self respect?"

"You asked me for a favor, which will probably entitle you to more favors…Just give me the one in return. It's all I ask."

"Just make sure you're in the room with the rest of the Volturi and you won't have to worry about it." I sighed. "It's better you don't know how."

"Would you like me to get you a new cell phone?" Alex asked as we rounded the city entrance for the third time that night.

"You fixed it up didn't you?"

"As best I could."

"Computer geek?" I asked.

"How'd you know?" he asked sarcastically holding my cell phone out to me.

"Lucky guess. How'd you fix it from the seven or eight pieces the battery was in?"

"Not that hard when you just have to connect the parts that become disconnected. I suppose you want to tell your reinforcements that plans have changed slightly?"

"You're offering to cover or keep it under wraps?"

"I'm offering to keep your phone on me when we're not out on patrol so it doesn't get you into trouble." He said as I took the phone out of his hands.

"Greatly appreciated." I said as I dialed Edward's number.

"Hey. Why'd you hang up on me earlier?" Jake had Edward's cell, great.

"Phone went dead. Sorry. I need to speak with Edward."

"No 'I love you's'? Great to hear from you though." He said sarcastically.

"I got my memory back on the plan, I need to speak with Edward before things become chaotic."

"Oh, in that case here." He said.

Edward was immediately on the line. "Kathryn, what happened? How'd you get your memory back?"

"Emotional overload. Look, I don't have long before the sun comes back up and I have to go back in but plans have changed. You don't have to call a meeting with Aro on the full moon. I've got someone working with us."

"You sure you trust him?"

"He's enamored with me. It would shock me if he even _could_ turn us in." I told him.

"So that's why you sound so uneasy. Don't worry. I won't tell Jacob you kissed him…" I could hear screaming and bashing on the other end of the phone and a very quiet, "I'm kidding, she didn't."

"That was the worst possible thing you could have done to him after I asked to talk to _you_." I said hearing Edward's tiny smirking laughter.

"Sorry. But he did kiss you didn't he? …Jacob shut it! …His ability I'm guessing or you would have killed him by now."

"Keep it business before I have to go," I said.

"Sorry. So no need, just bring as many reinforcements as possible on the night of the full moon? Got it. Did you want to calm him down or are you going to leave that to me since I caused it?"

"Give him the phone." I laughed. I could hear Jake trying to calm himself down on the other end of the line very shortly after I'd told Edward to give him the phone. "He was joking around. Nothing's happened. If it had you know the Volturi would have kicked me out already."

"I know, I'm sorry." He said, suddenly calmer. "I'm coming over earlier. Two days. I'll be there while you're patrolling."

"Jake, please don't."

"Unless you have a better idea, I'm coming up. You said you got your memory back. Have you forgotten _your_ odds of _living_ through this?"

"No, but…Please just don't."

"No. I'm coming up in two days. If you don't let me in I'll force my way in. They're getting me my own phone tomorrow, I'll call you when I get there."

"Jake, if you do just make sure it's after ten over here or I'll get into some serious trouble."

"No problem. I love you."

"I love you too. See you soon." I shut the phone and handed it back to Alex as we walked in through the large city doors and back toward my room.

"When are you planning on telling him?" he asked.

"Telling him what?"

"About his child. What else?"

I sighed, "Wasn't planning on it. I might not live past the week."

"You have commitment issues or something?"

"Alex, not now. You can yell at me all you want after I'm dead. Doubt there'll be anything else to do."

"You're serious? Damn, I'm really sorry about everything."

"Stop with the sorrow! I can read emotions remember?" I said as we entered my room.

"Sorry. I'll let you get some sleep before they need you again."

"They won't until the next patrol. I overheard Aro talking to Helga wanting her to keep away from the US for a while, too many blooming shape shifters. That means she'll be out for at least another week. She'll be back around the full moon, I hope." I said sitting down on the floor against a wall.

"You like walls when you're stressed?" Alex came to sit beside me.

"Very much, now leave." I said pointing toward the door.

Alex got up and left, I soon fell asleep after the long night of patrolling. When I awoke Alex was waiting in the corner of my room closest to the door, "One more hour." He said sadly.

"Why is it a sad thing? You get to escape being held in this claustrophobic city. How could that be a bad thing?"

"Helga's going to be back tomorrow. She took a fast trip to Japan."

"What's the big deal?"

"They're preparing for an attack. She only brings back Japanese when they need all the strength possible to fend off an enemy." Alex sighed, he seemed truly troubled by this but he didn't exactly know what I was capable of.

We set out right as the clock stroke midnight, Alex handed me my cell, which I stowed in a pocket in my capris, Alice of course had brought clothes for me knowing that we wouldn't exactly be let out to buy anything. I hadn't expected much different, but I didn't think one pair of clothes would make that much of a difference whether I lived through it or not.

"Okay, you seemed way too worried back there about the Volturi. Look, no vampire stands a chance if one of the human leeches touches me, Japanese enhanced or not."

"You sure? You haven't seen them with Japanese enhancement. That's how they took out the Romanian cult. Forty of them, none left."

I shrunk back in mock horror. "Not even that could stand up to, I can't believe I'm going to say this but…not even that could stand up to my amazing werewolf powers." He laughed at that. "At least I accomplished getting a laugh out of you."

"If you're so sure…"

"Alex, that's why we have backup coming. If something does happen we've got the rest of the Cullens coming." My phone rang, "Hello?" I asked not recognizing the caller ID.

"I'm here." Jake's voice sang on the other line.

"WHAT? You said two days!"

"Got here early."

"You were at the airport weren't you? I'm going to _kill_ Edward."

"You'll get that chance when you let us in."

"Us? Here? Waiting? Now?"

"Stop speaking in broken sentences. Yes, we're here along with Jasper. Everyone else will be here in a couple days."

"Poor Jasper." I whispered. "Alright we'll be there in a second." I huffed shutting my phone and handing it to Alex, "We'll be going back a bit early so just save me the trouble of breaking it again."

"No problem." Alex said stuffing the phone into his own pocket.

We rounded the corner toward the front gates and I almost ran into Jake's outstretched arms. Looking at Jasper, one if his arms held by Edward, I almost laughed but still felt very sorry for him. "Don't worry, we'll get you to Alice as fast as possible. Just don't inflict your pain on me."

"Easy for you to say. Do you know how much like a puppy that guy of yours really acts like? He bounced the entire plane flight like some overexcited freak. Flight attendant actually asked if he was in the wrong section." Jasper said breaking Edward's grasp.

"You going to get us in there or what Miss Security?" Edward asked embracing me in a hug.

"Too much love!" I gasped as Jake and even Jasper joined in. "I'm afraid to find out what happens when Emmet and the rest of the family get here."

"Don't worry about that." Jake said, "They won't be here long enough before to have mushy hugs and what not. Who's the kid?"

"I'm just as old as you." Alex replied, I only now realized that he was just as tall as Jake.

"Let's not fight. He's our insider." I said stepping between the two.

"Fine, let's go." Jake mumbled linking his hand with mine. I sighed, he was still as overprotective as ever if not a bit clingy.

Alex and I brought the three of them back to Aro's office. Edward explained to Aro that they were only there for a quick visit and would be gone in no more than three days. With that Aro accepted and Jake and I returned to my room.

"Could you be a little less clingy?" I asked him taking my hand back.

"What do you mean?" he asked taking my face in his hands and kissing me lightly.

"Exactly that, Alex is just a connection and you act like I've suddenly imprinted on him!"

"I know that you haven't. I just haven't seen you in a long time."

"Three days? You consider that a long time?"

"Yes, considering that we're who we are. We haven't exactly been away from each other that long before."

"Jake, you ran off for weeks on end before. Three days was nothing. It was usually five days minimum."

"Why are you so moody all of a sudden?" he asked sitting me down next to him on the bed.

"Moody? Well, for a few reasons. One, I'm female, mood swings are part of my territory. Two, you're being overly clingy. And three, um…I'm pregnant."

"What?" he exclaimed. "When did that happen?"

"Sometime before I changed, I think."

"You were planning on telling me when?" he asked balling his fists by his sides. "I thought we were passed the whole keeping things from each other thing."

"This one I wanted to keep a surprise, like your plans to propose. I figured you'd find out eventually and it would be at a happier time than now."

"Alright, I'll give you that one. But it helps lighten the mood now, doesn't it?"

I looked at the floor. "I guess it does. But it makes another subject darker."

"None of that thinking. You know better. You're the one that kept telling me not to think that way before you changed. Don't you go thinking like that now."

"Alright. I haven't had any dreams about it so there's nothing to even aid my worry. I guess it was a good thing you decided to come. Thanks." I said kissing him.

The next two days were uneventful. The full moon was fast approaching and Helga was nowhere to be found. Jake tensed against the wall when Alex came in, "Helga's back." We all breathed a sigh.

"Alright." I said following Alex out the door toward the feeding room. "Pull all of them out to a special tour, looks like Edward's going to call his meeting now anyway."

"Alright. Don't forget your promise though."

"Just get the group out of the city and meet everyone else in the feeding room." He nodded his thanks and disappeared. Jake and I left shortly afterward, heading toward the feeding room.

When we rounded the corner Leah, Alice, Kat, Jasper, Carlisle, Esme, Emmet, Rosalie and Edward stood, their backs all to the wall behind them wearing faces that seemed painted on. Not at all how they really felt. "You ready?" Edward asked. I nodded and he walked into the room where everyone was gathered.

"Alex in there too? He asked if he could join his girlfriend in the afterlife."

Alice nodded, "He's in there."

I walked in the room staying against the wall in the shadows until I saw Edward leave the room. Jane walked over to where I stood, I listened and heard the doors all lock behind Edward as he left, she grabbed my shoulder, "You honestly shouldn't have done that."

I smiled evilly.

Just as I'd imagined I started shaking violently but it only lasted for a short time before I changed to my white wolf form. Everything was a blur of color and screaming as I violently tore through the vampires before me. When I'd destroyed everything in the room I paused enough to calm myself down. I swept the many vampire pieces into a pile near the middle of the room with my tail. Finding the lighter I'd brought in I managed to change back to my human form and light the mangled bodies aflame.

The dirty deed was done, I was free for life from the Volturi. So why was I so down and glum?


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

"Kathryn?" I heard Edward's voice behind me.

I turned around to face the voice. Edward had opened the large doors and everyone was coming into the room behind him. "That's it. It's over." I collapsed to my knees.

"Are you okay?" Edward came and kneeled in front of me.

"I can't believe I did that." I stared, horrified, at my hands. I placed my head in my hands, "Why do I feel like I dreamed the entire thing?"

"Kathryn," Edward looked at me debating what to do, "Kathryn, listen to me. Kathryn, come back."

"So many, so much…how?" I mumbled staring blankly at my hands, "Stained… Drenched… Covered… How?"

"Kathryn, come back. Listen to me. I saw how bad it was… You need to listen to me. You did the right thing." Edward took my face in his hands and lifted my eyes towards his.

I saw the pain, the torture present there, the aged wisdom that suddenly make him look older. "How?" I asked losing myself completely in guilt and sorrow.

"Kathryn, you need to come back. You have people here who need you." Tears formed in his eyes. "Please."

Everything came rushing back in that instant, "Edward? Wha…No!" I fell forward as life drained completely from me. Panicked voices gathered around as my mind faded from my body completely. Guilt clung like brier to my clothes. I knew I'd never be saved from it. The faces of those I'd just killed surrounded me threatening to overwhelm me.

I opened my eyes slowly, adjusting them to the light above me. Jacob cradled me in his arms.

"Why?" he was asking over and over again. Leah put a hand on his shoulder. He fought back tears. "I should have told you the truth, the whole truth. The first time I saw you… At your grandfather's funeral. Billy and I went to say 'good-bye…' Edward came… That's when I first imprinted on you… I should have kept you safe… I'm sorry," he sobbed silently.

I sat up hoping to comfort him only to find that my spirit had detached from my body. I stood, shocked looking around me. Kat was huddled against Edward's chest crying. Alice was stroking my hair lightly while Jasper sat behind her. Tears came from his eyes too. Leah even cried, even though I knew she was jealous of me for having Jake.

"Jake," I whispered, "I'm sorry." I tried to take his face in my hands. Instead they turned to smoke only to re-assemble as I pulled them away. Hot tears came to my eyes. _I have lost everything. But I'm leaving them with an empty hole._

Edward looked solemnly in my direction. He held Kat, only once peeling his eyes from me to kiss the top of her head.

I walked over slowly, not sure if my legs could carry me. "Edward? Can you see me?"

_I can hear you think still, too. Kathryn – you're dead._

I stared back at him in shock, _What do you mean, dead?_

_I mean you can't ever go back to waking up. You're gone._

_That can't be… But, what about…_I looked down at my stomach.

_I don't know what happened to the baby. All I know is that you're dead but somehow I can still see and communicate with you._

I looked around the room again, my eyes pausing carefully on every face in the room. Silent tears streaked down everyone's faces. Their shoulders sagged with grief and their sorrow weighed on me. I held my own face in my hands crumpling to the floor. I'd let down my unborn child. There was no way that child would live a full life now. I'd let down my whole family. They'd thought I'd be strong enough to pull through this. What was worse was that my mother had no idea what all was going on. She was going to be the hardest to break the news of my death to, I grieved for the person responsible for the phone call to her.

I let the tears flow freely wanting desperately for someone to comfort me. Anyone. I knew that wouldn't happen. There was no one for me anymore. I was a lone spirit and everyone else was alive, a few of them with heartbeats.

Pain clutching my chest, I gave in. Whatever death brought I wouldn't resist any longer.


	16. Epilogue

Epilogue

I opened my eyes to see a pretty redhead above me. "What happened?"

"You wore your body past exhaustion," she said helping me to stand. "Thank you for letting me be with Alex again." She must be Lucy. "I'm sorry. You're going to have to come with us. You can't stay here for much longer or you'll lose your spirit forever."

"What do you mean?" I asked her.

"Your kids took it better." She sighed under her breath.

"WHAT?"

"Just, don't turn around."

I turned anyway, wanting to know why she didn't want me to. I could see the full grief my death had caused. The only reason I'd lived sat in front of me. It was almost as if I were the one living and he was dead. It devastated me to see him that way.

"You said my children?" Tears at the corners of my eyes and a lump in my throat cut off my airway.

"Over here," Alex said gently. He held two babies in his arms. "You didn't say you'd be having twins." He smiled.

"I didn't know." I mumbled as Alex filled my arms with them.

"They grow fast in the spirit world." Lucy said. "They were beyond tiny when we found them. If you'd lived to give birth this is how big they would have been at two hours old."

Before my eyes the twins grew into toddlers.

"What're you going to name them?" Alex asked holding Lucy by his side.

I looked down at my two children. They both had Jacob's black hair and my green eyes. "Lucy and Alex, in memory of the two of you." I looked back at the sad scene behind us. Tears drenched my cheeks and neck, shaking my body with silent sobs.

"Edward can still see you. Tell him what you need to say to the others. Then you've got to go," Lucy said placing a hand on my shoulder. She nodded as I turned to walk over.

"Edward?" I asked.

"Yes?"

"Can you tell Jacob I'm sorry? Tell him that Lucy and Alex love him, too." Edward looked puzzled, "Our children are with me. Tell him not to give up no matter how bad things get. Tell him… He needs to learn to love Leah. Please, I have to go." I wished I could embrace him in a hug. I couldn't. Instead I held the moisture back from my eyes.

"Alright," he said. Anguish shook his voice, "Can I see them?"

I pulled the two small children from behind me, "They should have been your fifth generation of descendants. Lucy and Alex." A slight, but sad, smile crept onto my lips.

"Why the names?" he asked bending down to look at them.

"Alex, the insider that helped, and his girlfriend, Lucy, who was killed when he was turned." Lucy clung to my side. "We've got to go. I'm sorry." I sobbed. "Tell Jacob I love him so much." I went to Jacob's side and kissing him lightly on the cheek. "I'll miss you so much." I wanted to say so much more but choked on silent tears. I took the hands of my two children already the size of kindergarteners. We walked out the doors toward the world outside. Towards wherever we were headed.

I saw Lucy and Alex glance behind them. Jacob looked up in the direction we stood. My sorrow seemed to reflect in his face as he stared, unknowingly, into my eyes.

"Daddy," they said making my tears flow heavier than anything.

"Come on. You'll see him again," I promised. Edward was telling Jacob what Lucy and Alex looked like. I couldn't stand it any longer, I needed to leave before the memories came back and made me crumble again. 'I love you' I mouthed turning and almost running out the door in hopes of leaving my sorrow behind.

Lucy and Alex followed. They had a different sorrow than my own. They didn't understand what was really happening. That was okay though, they didn't need to.

By the time I slowed my pace we were in some forest. Glowing creatures gathered around us recognizing my wolf spirit. They paid their respects and scattered. My wolf spirit following closely behind us doing what she did best, guarding and protecting.

3


	17. Author's Note

A/N: Okay sorry this wasn't at the beginning of the story but I don't own Twilight. So wish I did because then I wouldn't have to worry about school and getting a job or anything but I do own the character Kathryn and the character Katlynn(Kat), well Katlynn owns Katlynn cuz she's my friend but whatever on that…she gave me permission to use her. I kinda do own all changed personalities including: Leah, Sam, Jacob and anyone else that I changed if I can't remember…oh, Alex and Lucy, both the twins and the characters as well as Alice's one memory boyfriend…that's all…hope you enjoyed my story…if you haven't reviewed what I could do better or whatever on each chapter please do so. I will be writing a sequal but because this was a class assignment it may not be up for quite a few months. I've still got to get my friend Kat to write her side of the story and I'll post that up too. Don't be too sad… Kathryn, Alex and Lucy will be coming back to life, I think.

Bella Ann Black


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